Neighbours ignored dying man's desperate yells for help because they thought he was a noisy old drunk - Update

A man who suffocated after falling head-first down a drain shouted for help for up to four hours but no one went to help. Neighbours who heard Mark Wells desperate screams thought he was just a noisy drunk and ignored him, an inquest heard yesterday.

Police believe he dropped his keys in the storm drain after a night out to celebrate his 32nd birthday. He lifted up the metal grille and fell in as he reached into the 4ft hole. Residents were woken by his desperate cries in the early hours of Sunday. It was not until 5.10am - about four hours later - that a dog walker spotted Mr Wells's feet and rang police.

A postmortem found he had suffocated from being stuck upside down, just 30ft away from his front door and 6ft from the two nearest houses. His keys were later found at the bottom of the drain after it was dug out to free his body. His stepmum Rachel Wells said yesterday: "Someone may have been able to help, but you can't blame people. It was a tragic accident. Mark was a very caring and sensitive son and we are all in shock. "



Brian Gray, 70, who found Mr Wells's body, said: "I walked down the lane and saw a pair of feet sticking out. I thought it was a joke because it was so unusual. To make sure it wasn't a hoax I grabbed an ankle to feel for a bone. I did it to make sure it was a real body and not a dummy.

"I called him but there was no response. It was a terrible shock and upset me so much I was shaking. I have seen people get run over, have heart attacks, all sorts of things in my life, but nothing like this. It's bizarre."

Coroner John Matthews said yesterday: "Residents living in Ash Road, a matter of yards away from the drain, were woken by cries for help from him, but they thought it was somebody drunk and ignored them."