Wayne Young Pembroke Mill Pond drowning was 'tragic'

The death of a 52-year-old man in a pond in Pembrokeshire on his birthday was an accident, a coroner has ruled.

An inquest in Milford Haven was told Wayne Anthony Young was drunk when he "tumbled" into the water and drowned in Mill Pond, Pembroke, on 1 January 2015.

Mr Young was the first person of three to die in the pond in a short space of time, resulting in calls for barriers and other safety measures.

The death of 57-year-old John Lyall was also ruled an accident in August.

An inquest is due to be held in November into the death of Robert Mansfield, whose body was found in the water in July after he had been out celebrating his 18th birthday.

In a statement, Mr Young's son Wayne Carroll, from Milford Haven, said his father would consume alcohol and cannabis daily.

He said when he spoke to him on the phone that morning to wish him a happy birthday, he could tell his father had already been drinking.

A witness saw a man tumble into the pond and tried to help him, but Mr Young was unresponsive, the coroner's court was told.

Police and paramedics arrived and gave Mr Young CPR, before he was taken by ambulance to Withybush Hospital where he was declared dead.

There had been concerns about the amount of time it took for Mr Young to be taken to hospital.

A joint investigation by the Welsh Ambulance Trust and Hywel Dda University Health Board found there was a 20-minute delay due to a lack of clarity over the seriousness of the situation and the volume of calls on New Year's Day.

But it concluded it was not possible to establish whether or not the delay contributed to "the sad outcome".

Deputy coroner for Pembrokeshire, Gareth Lewis, said it was a "very tragic accident".