A ROSS-on-Wye man who was celebrating his 72nd birthday choked on a piece of steak and later died, an inquest heard.

David Howell of Alton Street was a regular at the King's Head Hotel in Ross and had asked for a special meal of fillet steak to be prepared for his dinner on January 6- the day of his birthday.

In a statement read to the inquest at Herefordshire Coroner's Court James Vidler, who works at the hotel, said Mr Howell was dining alone and was served his steak at 8.20pm.

Soon after a fellow diner noticed Mr Howell was in distress and rushed to his aid.

Mr Vidler said they called 999 and the fellow diner and a colleague performed CPR, while someone fetched the defibrillator from the Market House which was used on Mr Howell.

The inquest heard that Mr Howell had Parkinson's.

Paramedic Andy Hayles then arrived and removed a piece of meat from the opening of Mr Howell's wind pipe, while a bystander carried on with chest compressions.

Within a few minutes of Mr Hayles arriving another crew arrived at 8.54pm and Mr Howell was taking to Hereford County Hospital, where he died the following morning.

A post mortem revealed he died from hypoxic brain injury as a result of cardiac arrest and choking. The report also revealed a secondary cause of ischemic heart disease.

Coroner Mark Bricknell recorded an accidental death.