A DOG walker waded into the river to save a fisherman who had toppled in but was unable to rescue him, an inquest heard.

Nathan Kerr watched helplessly as Zdzislaw Figanski, weighed down by a heavy rucksack, was swept away and drowned in the River Kennet this summer.

Police recovered his body by the bridge at Berkeley Avenue less than an hour later.

The inquest at Reading Civic Centre on Tuesday heard how Mr Figanski had chatted to Mr Kerr as he walked past his designated fishing spot on the Kennet with his dog on July 2.

The 56-year-old said he had not had much luck catching fish that day, but as he bent to remove weed from his bait he toppled backwards into the water. He did not make a sound or struggle as he fell, and Mr Kerr immediately rang 999 on his mobile.

He said: “I quickly ran towards him but he was swept away. I took my shoes and socks off, but once the water got to my knees I knew it wasn’t safe.

“The river was three feet higher than it should have been and there was quite a fast flow. He was not attempting to swim and the fast flowing water turned him on to his front.”

A toxicology report revealed that Mr Figanski’s blood alcohol levels had been 3.4 times over the drink-driving limit when he fell in.

Mr Figanski’s brother Roman has placed fresh flowers at a tribute spot on the towpath every week since he died. He told Berkshire coroner Peter Bedford that his brother could not swim, and that he always took too much equipment with him when he went fishing. Speaking via an interpreter, he said he was surprised by the high level of alcohol in his brother’s system.

He said: “He had packed four cans of beer, but I took two out. When I went to collect the rucksack from the police station, there was still a can inside. That means he could have only had one after leaving my house.”

Mr Bedford said that the death would have been “a complete mystery” without Mr Kerr’s happening to be walking his dog there that day.

He said Mr Figanski’s death was caused by a combination of the weight of the bag and the amount of alcohol in his body and recorded a verdict of death by accident.

After the inquest, Roman said: “It’s very difficult to talk about my brother, but all of my questions have been answered by Mr Bedford. It’s a positive outcome.”