Mr Warburton (48) suffered fatal head injuries on 23rd December last year following the fall at the Lowmoor Inn, on Lowmoor Road.

Mr Warburton had been in charge of the pub for just days – having moved from his home in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, to take over the business.

Police carried out an investigation into the death but found no signs of robbery or suspicious circumstances.

Pub cleaner Frances Woodward, who found the body, told the inquest: "I phoned him at about 9.30am on the 23rd to tell him I was coming to work but I got no response. When I got to the pub the door was unlocked so I went in and started working.

"About an hour later I discovered him at the bottom of the stairs, I called for an ambulance but I think he was already dead."

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Nottinghamshire coroner Dr Nigel Chapman said: "He was five times over the legal drink-drive limit, he had just taken over the pub and was probably not familiar with his surroundings.

"He had a lot of drink inside him and must have either slipped or turned the wrong way. This was a tragic accident."