A man suffered fatal head injuries after falling from a ladder intoxicated, while tying a Union flag to a lamppost, an inquest heard.

After watching a football match, Paul Lumber, 61, had gone to attach flags to lampposts near his home in Bedminster, Bristol, on the evening of 22 November last year.

Neighbours heard a loud bang before finding Lumber, a painter and decorator, on the ground by his ladder, Avon Coroner’s Court heard. He died at Southmead Hospital on 6 December.

Dr Simon Fox KC, assistant coroner for Avon, reached a conclusion of accidental death on Thursday, noting Lumber had consumed alcohol before his fall.