A STOURPORT man found dead at the bottom of stairs at his home died as a result of an accident, an inquest heard.

Ronald Lewis, of Danescroft, who owned his own cleaning business, was found by his neighbours at 9.30am on Friday, June 26.

The 59-year-old’s neighbours were alerted by two of his employees who had turned up at his home to collect their wages and cleaning equipment.

The inquest at Stourport heard that cleaner, Trudy Guest, would go to Mr Lewis’s home with another colleague every morning to collect the equipment from his garage, which he kept unlocked.

In a statement read out at the inquest, she said: “Tracy and I went into the garage. On a Friday we always collected our wages which Ron would leave on a tray in the garage.

“When we opened the garage door, we noticed the wages and cleaning equipment weren’t there.

“I thought it was strange so we knocked the door to the living area. There was no answer. Tracy rang his phone, there was no reply.”

She added that she could hear Mr Lewis’s phone ringing from a room in the house and went to one of his neighbours for help.

“Somebody went to another neighbour and he came with a ladder and he went inside,” she said. “This man eventually opened the door and I could see Ron lying there. “

“I was very shocked,” she added.

The inquest heard that Mr Lewis died as a result of a head injury with acute subdural haemorrhage.

Deputy Coroner, Margaret Barnard, recorded a verdict of accidental death.