The family of a highly-respected Trowbridge builder who died on the floor of a town pub have paid tribute to him following an inquest into his death.

Colin Miller, 44, of Downhayes Road, died on the floor of the Crown Hotel in Timbrell Street after staff left him to sleep off a heavy drinking session overnight.

Assistant deputy coroner Ian Singleton recorded an open verdict at the inquest held in Trowbridge on Tuesday, after hearing from a pathologist how Mr Miller could have died either from heart disease or alcohol poisoning.

Mr Miller had been responsible for building the Trowbridge Mosque in Longfield Road and had gained much respect from the Muslim community as a result.

His partner Carol Davis, speaking on behalf of the whole family, said afterwards: “It was his kindness and generosity that people will remember.

“His laugh was infectious and was one of the first things that attracted me to him. He was so hardworking and had so much respect. He loved our dog Gemma and loved working, he was a workaholic. We miss him so much.”

The inquest heard how Mr Miller had been into the Crown Hotel for a few drinks on the evening of September 5, 2009.

After consuming several drinks, Mr Miller was said to have been very drunk and slid from his seat to the floor of the pub just before midnight, before saying that he wanted to sleep on the floor.

Mr Singleton read from a statement by Glen Parfitt, a guest at the Crown Hotel at the time, which said: “It seemed that Colin had gone from being sober to drunk almost at the flick of a switch.”

In a statement from landlady Carol Doble, the court heard how Mr Miller had sunk to the floor and she and staff had put him in the recovery position with bar stools against his back to stop him rolling over, before they went to bed.

It was Mr Parfitt who found Mr Miller dead in the exact same position on the floor at about 7.30am the next day.

Giving evidence, Ian Cook, the consultant pathologist who carried out Mr Miller’s post-mortem examination, said he found features of heart disease due to high blood pressure. He said his sudden death could have been caused by Hypertensive heart disease.

He also said that high levels of alcohol had been found in Mr Miller’s urine and blood, which could also point to a cause of death.

He said he was unable to say for sure which had killed Mr Miller, but concluded that either was a likely cause.