‘Aquaholic’ died after drinking from hosepipe

A man addicted to drinking water died at a Theale care home after gorging himself on a hosepipe, an inquest heard. A soaking wet Andrew Else was found unconscious in the garden of specialist care centre Voyage in The Green having drunk a fatal amount of water from the outside tap. Toxicology reports revealed the 51-year-old died from water intoxication – a condition known as hyponatremia – after consuming several litres during the evening of May 25 this year.

At the inquest at Newbury Town Hall yesterday care home deputy manager Patima Silima said staff did all they could to monitor Andrew’s behaviour that afternoon. “I spotted him drinking water from the hosepipe in the garden at around 5pm, so I told the staff to monitor him,” she said. “He was flicking his finger, which is a sure sign that he was not happy. A little later I looked out into the garden and saw him trying to turn the tap off. His jumper and trousers were very wet. It was clear he had been drinking again. So we brought him indoors and gave him some medication to calm him down and he seemed to be fine.

“But a little later I was called into the garden again to find Andrew collapsed on the floor. His lips were blue. He was very cold and his clothes were all wet.”

Mrs Silima said Mr Else, who suffered severe learning difficulties, would go to extreme lengths to satisfy his craving, and was often caught drinking from bathroom taps and out of toilets. “Andrew was always trying to get the water,” she said. “We gave him lots of tea and drinks like everyone else but it was a big problem.”

Mr Else’s brother Stephen told the inquest his brother had been an ‘aquaholic’ – someone who is addicted to drinking water – since his early 20s. “The water drinking had been a problem for many years,” he said. “It stemmed from a stomach condition he had. He found that drinking lots of water would cure it and take the pain away. The sensation of swallowing water became a source of amusement and comfort to him.” Mr Else said his brother – who had an IQ nearly three times that of an average adult – would not have known consuming excessive amounts of fluid was harmful.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Berkshire Deputy Coroner Pearl Willis said: “Andrew was an emotional individual who had a fascination with drinking water spanning many years. Unfortunately on this occasion he discovered the hosepipe in the garden. Staff did everything they could to monitor his behaviour, but during that day he drank so much water that it led to his death.”