AN INQUEST is expected to open on Thursday into the death of pensioner Eric Gillett who was found in the canal at Devizes on Friday.

Mr Gillett, 74, of Mayenne Place, Devizes, was found just before 8am on Friday after police received a report of a body near Lock 43 of the Kennet & Avon Canal.

Police closed off a section of the towpath near the Caen Hill cafe while officers and paramedics attended the scene.

Officers from the Canal & River Trust were also called.

A police spokesman said: "Officers do not believe there are any suspicious circumstances at this time."

Today police confirmed that the death was being treated as a sudden death, with no suspicious circumstances.

The inquest into Mr Gillett's death was likely to open in Salisbury today but further tests may be needed before a cause of death can be given.

A full inquest into the circumstances surrounding the death is unlikely to be held for several months.

The canal in Devizes has claimed a number of people's lives in recent years.

On April 18, 2014, the body of Mark Stobbart, 44, of Keepers Road, Devizes was found just before the start of the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race.

An inquest later found that Mr Stobbart had fallen into the canal as he walked home after a night out for a beer and curry with a friend.

In April 2012 Gary Smith, 45, from Devizes was found in the water near Lock 40. Paramedics treated the man after he was pulled out but he died later at Swindon's Great Western Hospital.