A university student died after he fell into a canal on his way home from a night out with friends, an inquest has heard.

Phil Dillon's body was found in the Grand Union Canal, near to Newarke Bridge, Leicester, in the early hours of Thursday, March 18.

The 24-year-old engineering student was found less than 200 metres from where he had last been seen alive, almost four weeks later. His disappearance sparked a major search by police, his family and members of the public.

Yesterday, at an inquest into Mr Dillon's death, deputy coroner Donald Coutts-Wood returned a verdict of accidental death.

The inquest heard that the night he disappeared he had been drinking in the city centre with friends.

CCTV footage showed Mr Dillon and friend Tom Fairbairn walking along Mill Lane, towards Bede Park, in the early hours of Saturday, February 20. Sergeant Matthew Ditcher said Mr Dillon could be seen to be laughing and joking, but clearly under the influence of alcohol.

Mr Fairbairn had earlier told the inquest his friend had been "pretty drunk, but happy drunk" when they left the Firebug, in Millstone Lane to walk home. A toxicology report showed that Mr Dillon had 197mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood – close to two-and-a-half times the legal drink-drive limit.

Dr Frances Hollingbury said in the post-mortem examination report that the amount of alcohol found in Mr Dillon's body could be expected to cause "disorientation, mental confusion, visual disturbance, nausea, slurred speech and a staggered gait".

The CCTV footage showed Mr Dillon and his friend part company at about 3.30am.

Mr Dillon was seen to walk down a ramp to the Grand Union Canal towpath and turn left toward his home in Dunton Street, Frog Island.

He was not seen alive again.

Mr Couts-Wood said: "I am satisfied that at some point in the early hours Phil Dillon has walked down the ramp, turned left to go north along the towpath towards his home address and at some point he has fallen into the canal."

He said he believed Mr Dillon might have fallen in while trying to negotiate the towpath under Newarke Bridge.

Mr Dillon's brother, Alan Aspland, attended the inquest on behalf of the family, along with Mr Dillon's girlfriend, Helen Myatt.