A WEDDING guest drowned after he fell into a river in the early hours, an inquest has heard.

Stephen Burn left the reception at Durham Rowing Club, on the banks of the River Wear, in Durham City, after a row with his girlfriend and was never seen alive again.

Yesterday’s inquest in Chesterle- Street heard that the 26-yearold, who had been drinking throughout the day, had drowned in the early hours of Sunday, August 29, last year.

His girlfriend, Sarah Harding, said she had left the reception expecting to find her boyfriend at the home they shared in nearby Witton Gilbert, but raised the alarm the following morning when he had still not returned.

A tearful Miss Harding told Coroner Andrew Tweddle that Mr Burn had been extremely drunk, but said the couple’s argument had not been very serious, and said: “We had talked about it before.”

PC Sonya Stewart had examined footage from the venue’s security cameras and said Mr Burn “appeared to be having a really good night”. She added: “He was very affectionate and seemed to be having a good time.”

Shortly after 1am, Mr Burn was seen leaving the building following the couple’s argument.

PC Stewart said: “The footage shows him leaving the rear entrance of the building, holding a pint glass and a wine glass. He walked past a caravan and that is the last time he was seen on CCTV.

“He seemed unsteady on his feet and he did appear to be quite drunk.”

Mr Burn’s body was found seven days later several hundred yards downstream of the rowing club, near Baths Bridge.

Pathologist Dr Jennifer Hamilton said: “There was a split in the skin on the back of his head which showed he had banged his head, but was a relatively minor injury.”

She said his blood-alcohol levels had been checked and said: “The level present was about three times the drink-drive limit, to the point where we would expect someone to be drunk.

“Given the fact that he has had a significant bump on his head, it looks likely he was unconscious.”

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Tweddle said: “There was a mark on the back of his head, indicating he had fallen into the river and has drowned. I see nothing more here than a tragic accident.”