The body of Maurice Jones, of Circular Drive, Lache, was recovered near the Holt-Farndon bridge on Sunday, November 25.

In recording an open verdict North Wales Coroner John Hughes said no evidence existed to suggest the 66-year-old had taken his own life.

Kenneth Jones, a retired accounts manager, revealed his brother had been badly affected by the death of their mother in 2002, and had written numerous letters to the NHS and Care Ombudsman complaining about the way she had been treated in hospital.

He had also been left traumatised by the death of his father, in 1962, who died after suffering a heart attack while out sailing with his son in West Kirby.

The brothers had fallen out of contact after 2002 as Maurice, who was unmarried, became more reclusive.

The inquest was told, however, that Maurice had remained a common sight in Lache, taking his bike out early in the morning and not returning until late in the evening.

His body was found by a group of three brothers and their friend, all from Mold, who had been sailing along the Dee on a pleasure cruiser.

Police were informed and Mr Jones was identified by his keys and a shopping list, which matched handwriting found at his home.

The hearing was told that Mr Jones had studied at the Royal Horticultural Society's college in Wisley, Surrey, before he moved to Africa to carry out volunteer work on behalf of Save The Children.

He may have been in the Holt area because of its river flowers, said Mr Hughes.

He said that a post mortem examination had shown evidence of significant cardiac disease which may have caused a collapse, although this was not certain.

Delivering an open verdict he said: "One of the most difficult areas of determination for a coroner is deaths in water because you need some sort of unequivocal evidence to give a chance of delivering an authoritative verdict.

"The one thing that I will say is that I have no evidence that he did a deliberate act to take his own life. I know his doctor was worried about his patient's mental health but I'm convinced this was not a suicide.

"In those circumstances I am going to return an open verdict. Even on the balance of probabilities I don't know what happened."