Litter picker in river drowning

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A man drowned when he fell into a river while trying to pick up some litter on the bank, an inquest has heard.

Delmund Penney, 56, was enjoying a walk along the River Dolfach in Llanbrynmair, near Machynlleth, Powys, when tragedy struck in March.

Mr Penney, from Worcester, was with his wife Stephanie, who said her husband had thought the litter "unsightly".

Powys coroner Geraint Williams said Mr Penney's death was an accident, and that a good deed had cost him his life.

Mr Williams read a statement from Mrs Penney, who was not at the inquest in Welshpool.

She said her husband, a director of a bread company, had spotted the litter on the river bank and thought it "unsightly".

'Tragic'

Mrs Penney added that she warned her husband to be careful, but moments later he slipped into the water, cutting his head as he fell.

A post-mortem examination showed Mr Penney had drunk just over the drink-drive limit.

Mr Williams said: "It's tragic that a man should have an accident when seeking to do something for the community."

He added that if Mr Penney had ignored the rubbish he would have been alive today, but he did not and "it cost him his life".