Hay-on-Wye man died when lawnmower crashed into river

A man died when the ride-on lawnmower he was using fell 10ft off a bank into a river, an inquest has heard.

Simon Theaker, 44, had been cutting grass at his family's farm in Cusop, near Hay-on-Wye, in Powys, on 19 May when he crashed the lawnmower.

Mr Theaker's fiancee found him lying face down in the river with the lawnmower on top of him, the inquest in Pontypridd heard.

Emergency services were called but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

In a statement, senior coroner Graeme Hughes said Mr Theaker had borrowed his father's lawnmower on 19 May.

Mr Theaker lived in a cottage a short distance from his father's property at Llangwathan Farm.

In a statement, his father said he heard his son using the lawnmower for between one and two hours before it went silent.

At about 18:00 BST, Mr Theaker's fiancee returned home and "pottered around the house" and watered some plants, he added.

About 20 minutes later, she saw the lawnmower lying at the bottom of the bank before realising Mr Theaker was lying underneath it.

The ambulance service said it sent four ambulances and an air ambulance, but he was pronounced dead at 18:52.

Mr Theaker ran a coffee roasting business from the family farm.

The inquest was opened on Wednesday and adjourned until a date to be fixed.