A senior coroner is writing a letter of 'concern' after two men drowned just yards from each other, within the space of a month.
Father-of-two Mikey Greenall, 27, fell in the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, near lock 77, on the evening of September 18 2020, Bolton Coroner's Court heard.
Four weeks earlier, Matt Dutton, 22, drowned after falling in and drowning close to lock 79.
The inquest heard that the two locks are located on the same stretch of canal, in Wigan, and are just 'yards' away from each other.
Mr Greenall's childhood sweetheart and mother to his two children, Alex Ince, told the court that he had finished work at around lunch-time on September 18.
Miss Ince said that Mr Greenall "liked a pint on a Friday" and after a couple of pints with work friends, he came home to help with picking the kids up from school.
She said that when he returned home he was "in a very good mood".
Later in the evening, Mr Greenall and Miss Ince went out to the Whitesmiths Arms pub, where they had an argument about him spending too much time on the fruit machines.
"He enjoyed the bandit, so we had a bit of a fall-out over that," she remembered.
"He just had his cocky head on."
Miss Ince said he then walked off and she presumed he would go round to his mum's or a friend's house, as he often did after arguments.
However the next morning, Mr Greenall had not returned home; worried, Miss Ince reported him missing.
Police found his body in the canal on September 23.
Miss Ince told the court that Mr Greenall was "outgoing" and "very popular". She also said that she was never aware of him having any history of mental illness.
However, he had recently struggled sleeping and had started self-medicating with diazepam, which had not been prescribed to him.
A report prepared by Mr Greenall's GP at Longshoot Health Centre, Dr Suman Prabhu, revealed that he had self-presented with mental health issues in 2016.
Senior coroner for Manchester West, Timothy Brennand said: "It seems in relation to that, that he was at a low point in his life and behaved in a bizarre and surreal way."
Police coroner's officer Stefan Wilson told the court that on the day of his death, Mr Greenall had taken several diazepam tablets and drank around seven pints.
Following a post mortem, Dr Naveen Sharma recorded the cause of death as drowning.
Mr Brennand concluded that Mr Greenall's death was an accident and drew parallels with the death of Mr Dutton.
He said: "By reason of the deceased's self-induced intoxication, he became incapacitated, confused and disoriented when attempting to walk to an acquaintance's house, falling in a canal and drowning.
"The precise location and circumstances in which he fell into the canal cannot be established."
Miss Ince told the court that a petition has been set up to try and get barriers or lighting put up along the canal.
She added: "It's pitch black there, you can't even see your hand in front of your face."
Mr Brennand responded: "What I can do is to write to the Canal and River Trust and Wigan Council to make clear that I have matters of concern in relation to the issue of the fact that within the period of canal between lock 77 and lock 79, this is the second tragedy to have befallen local residents in that area.
"Open stretches of water can kill. I will write with immediate effect to the two agencies I have indicated and within the context of my letter I will express my own concerns with the issue of water safety."
'He lived for his kids'
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News after the inquest, Miss Ince said: "He was a great dad, he lived for his kids.
"He was a great partner as well."
Mr Greenall's parents added: "We couldn't have asked for a better son.
"He is missed and loved by us every day."
If you would like to sign the 'Put Barriers Up on Wigan Canals' petition, visit change.org.
