AN INQUEST has been opened into to death of a man who pulled his elderly mother and dog to safety before dying when his narrowboat sank in a Droitwich canal lock.

Allen Green, 49, died when his narrowboat got into difficulty and sank in Lock 5 of the Droitwich Junction Canal on Monday, July 25.

The lock was drained and firefighters pulled Mr Green from the vessel, but despite lengthy resuscitation efforts he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Canal and River Trust (CRT), the body responsible for the county's waterways, launched a structural investigation shortly after the tragic incident but found "no problem" with the canal lock.

Rescue workers say it could have taken as little as two minutes for the narrowboat to fill with water.

A CRT spokesman said: "As far as we can tell there is no problem with the lock so the canal is now open and operational again.

"At the moment, it does just seem like a tragic accident that has happened and certainly not something that is connected explicitly to the structures.

"We would offer to support any further investigation in that sense."

West Mercia Police and Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service are not investigating Mr Green's death.

Tributes flooded in for the "skilled canal man" who is lived on the boat in Netherwych Garden Basin in Droitwich.

Droitwich Town Councillor Sandy Laird, who is a member of The Droitwich Waterways (Pamela May) Trust, knew Mr Green well.

He said: "He was a very skilled canal man, he was a boat builder and he had his own boat for many years so it was just a terrible, tragic accident.

"He really was a very nice man and I just feel so desperately sorry for his mother."

Gail Evans, who knew Mr Green and his mother Jean, described him as a "character".

The coroner has scheduled a pre-inquest review to take place at the Worcestershire Coroner's Court in Stourport on Thursday, November 17 at 4pm.

The inquest will then take place on Wednesday, December 14 at 10am.