A HAMPSHIRE pensioner died of hypothermia after getting lost while out on a walk, an inquest heard.

Robert Underwood, of Long Road, Soberton, was found lying down in a watermeadow less than a mile from his home a day after he was reported missing by his wife.

Winchester Coroner’s Court heard how the 78-year-old suffered dementia as a result of Alzheimer’s and was well known in the village for his wandering.

Following his disappearance on January 21 this year police and local residents formed a search party to help find the former coppicer.

But they were called off in the early hours of the morning because of the bad weather. He was found dead the next morning.

A post-mortem examination revealed his body showed several signs of pneumonia.

Grahame Short, central Hampshire coroner, said: “He was not always aware of where he was or the reason he was there.”

He recorded a verdict of accidental death.