A NEW hobby led to tragedy for a Hampshire man who died after falling off a mountain board, an inquest has heard.

Mark Brown, aged 42, died at Southampton General Hospital after the accident, which happened on anindustrial estate.

During the Winchester inquest, Mr Brown's mother Maureen said that her son had bought the board - the off-road equivalent of a skateboard, that has tyres and can be used on grass - only days before.

He was found on a concrete-covered area on the industrial estate by passer-by Vanda Warman. She said his board was some distance away from him, covered in blood.

She said he was not wearing a helmet.

Dr Lesley Bridges, consultant neuropathologist at Southampton General Hospital, said Mr Brown had suffered a very severe' injury to the back of his head, and had blood clots removed from his brain.

He concluded Mr Brown's death was caused by septicaemia due to pneumonia in his lungs, a result of his brain injury.

Mr Brown, who was living with his parents in Andover following a divorce, was an electronics engineer and had no children.

Mrs Brown said her son was learning to ride the board ahead of a trip with work colleagues to go land kiteboarding in Cornwall.

She said: "He had a new job and it was a new hobby, he had a big kite and the next thing was the board. He wanted to practise because he didn't want to get left behind."

She added: "Mark was a person who if he wanted to do something, heaven and earth wouldn't have stopped him from doing it."

Central Hampshire Deputy Coroner Simon Burge recorded a verdict of accidental death.

After the hearing, Mrs Brown paid tribute to her son.

She said: "He lived life to the full. Lots of people live a lot longer than him and don't do half as much. He had no fear."