"ALWAYS treat everyone as if they are kind and good, and they will mostly prove you right."

That was the philosophy of a man who died after an evening doing what he loved - watching his football team win while drinking real ale with friends.

The saying was part of the statement from the daughter of consultant engineer David Gordon Watson who died after falling into the canal water on Pontcysyllte Aqueduct.

At the inquest into the 60-year-old's death at County Hall in Ruthin, Kimberly Watson said it was something her dad would say to her and her brother Richard.

The inquest heard that Mr Watson had been watching the Leicester versus Everton match at the Aqueduct Inn on Holyhead Road.

He would often watch matches and drink real ale with friends on Friday night, but as he supported Leicester and his friend John McCarthy was an Evertonian they decided to go out on the evening of Sunday, December 1.

In a statement, Mr McCarthy said they had drink two or three pints an hour during the evening before declining the pub staff's offer to call them a taxi and making their way home on foot as they usually did.

They intended to go to Mr McCarthy's home in Froncysyllte first for a nightcap. But the pair slipped on ice and fell to the ground. They were both laughing as Mr McCarthy had lost his glasses but when he found them he could not locate Mr Watson.

He assumed he had walked on ahead but when Mr McCarthy arrived home just before 11pm his wife Debbie told him she had not seen David.

Concerned, they both searched the area, including Gate Road and the A55, as well as calling at Mr Watson's home in Mount Pleasant, Cefn Mawr.

They called Mr Watson's son and the police were called.

There then followed an extensive search of the area, coordinated from the Trevor Basin.

His family were concerned he might have walked home on the path alongside the canal over the aqueduct as he often went home that way.

Kimberly said she had told her dad it wasn't safe, especially as he usually walked with his hands in his pockets, and to find another way to go.

The inquest heard that Mr Watson's body was discovered the following day, December 2, by two kayakers as they paddled towards the basin.

Daniel Dorton, of Dorchester, was in North Wales as part of his son's stag party who were on the canal in eight two-man kayaks. He and a friend had paddled ahead of the others and saw the emergency services congregated at the canalside. As they proceeded across the aquaduct, Mr Dorton saw the body and alerted police.

Coroner for North Wales East and Central John Gittins said that, although the post-mortem examination showed alcohol in his system, he did "not consider that very significant" for someone with a reasonable tolerance for drink.

Recording a conclusion of accidental death, the coroner said Mr Watson had died due to drowning after night enjoying himself with his friends.

He added: "I really don't think he would have suffered in these circumstances."

Originally from Loughborough, Mr Watson had a degree in metallurgy and worked in Zambia before taking a job with Air Products in Acrefair. After being made redundant, he started his own consultancy business and was only semi-retired.