A holidaymaker fell to his death while looking for the toilet in a Spanish bar cafe, an inquest heard.

Colin Wild, 74, had been enjoying a two-week sunshine break in the resort of Denia with his wife Ann when the accident happened two years ago, Friday’s hearing in Bradford was told.

Mr Wild, of Keighley Road, Steeton, had gone to find the toilet in a pavement cafe where he and his wife had been having coffee but was put off when he went inside to find it was a cyber-cafe with a bank of computers, his son Martin Wild told the inquest.

Instead of continuing his search at those premises the retired sales office manager went to look for one elsewhere and when he failed to return to his worried wife she went to look for him, asking all the bars along the busy street if anyone had seen him.

It was when she got to one called El Comercio she discovered her husband had been found dead from a head injury after he had fallen down steep stone steps into a storeroom – through a door that should have been kept locked.

In a statement read at the inquest, she said she was “forcibly prevented” from seeing her husband for about one hour and was “pushed down” into a seat until the medics had gone.

The inquest was told it was the first door Mr Wild would have seen when he went through the restaurant’s swing doors.

Mr Wild’s son and 17-year-old grandson, who live in Thornton, had gone out four months after his death to retrace his last moments and see for themselves where he had died.

There were no signs in English, the first step down through the door was about one foot deep, dropping straight down and the lights might have been off, said Mr Wild, giving evidence.

A post-mortem examination carried out in Spain found Mr Wild had died of severe head injuries but acting Bradford coroner Professor Paul Marks told the family on Friday he would have gone unconscious instantly.

A police report read out at the inquest said the cellar door, which had a paper sign saying private in Spanish, should have been locked and the keys kept in the kitchen. The chef made the grim discovery.

While Mrs Wild was kept waiting to see her husband she said an ex-pat British woman who had been at the bar told her the staff were not telling her everything and that they were worried they could be prosecuted because the cellar door should not have been left unlocked.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Prof Marks told the family they could still pursue civil action or a claim against the business.

After the inquest Mrs Wild did not want to comment on the family’s intentions but said her husband was a much-loved family man, who had charisma, many friends and an engaging manner. “He is greatly missed by all of us but especially his five grandchildren,” she said.