A best man took a cocktail of drink and drugs before he was found drowned during a stag weekend in Belgium, an inquest heard.

Traces of ecstasy, amphetamine and a large amount of alcohol were found in the body of Ian Gilbert, 25, following his death in Ostend.

Married sales manager Mr Gilbert sparked a huge search when he vanished at 4am on May 4 last year while with the 25-strong stag group on their first night out.

Mr Gilbert, who was just weeks away from celebrating his first wedding anniversary to his wife Charlotte, had sailed to Ostend the day before with his friends from Crowborough Rugby Club.

His heavily decomposed body was recovered from a dock in the port town 14 days later following appeals for help from friends and family and a £20,000 reward.

An Uckfield inquest yesterday heard the group, including groom Mark Rosier, checked into the town's Kingston Hotel on May 3 before visiting several bars and clubs.

While most of the group retired to their hotel early on May 4, Mr Gilbert, of Hilders Farm Close, Crowborough, stayed out.

Crowborough Rugby Club full-back Mr Gilbert, known as Golly, was last seen walking towards central Ostend alone but he failed to show later at the hotel.

His wife Charlotte travelled to Ostend to join the search and made a tearful three-minute appeal on Belgian television.

Divers scoured waters along the route the group took back to their hotel and the Belgian Air Force's Sea King helicopter swept the Ostend coastline.

The friends were joined by Detective Constable Mark Dennett-Thorpe from Sussex Police, who acted as a liaison with Belgian police.

At first there was speculation Mr Gilbert, who was carrying the group's kitty of several hundred pounds, might have been mugged.

Mrs Gilbert told the inquest that although Mr Gilbert's wallet, containing the kitty, was found with his body, his £1,000 Tag Hauer watch was missing.

She said: "The watch had three safety clasps and used to take Ian 15 seconds to take off."

Two Dutch tourists on a walk reported seeing a body floating face down in an Ostend dock on May 18. Dental records were used to identify him.

A Belgian pathologist reported no sign of an attack but found traces of ecstasy and amphetamine. Mr Gilbert also had 214mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, making him more than twice the drink-drive limit.

Mrs Gilbert told the inquest her husband had never taken drugs, something vouched for by friend David Groombridge.

He said: "I certainly had no inkling he had taken drugs. I've spoken to every single member since and they have all assured me no drugs had been taken."

Belgian police traced a woman who claimed to have spent time with Mr Gilbert and a mystery British man called Brian on the night of the disappearance. Despite inquiries, Brian remains unfound.

Pathologist Dr Geert van Parys said the death was caused by drowning and Mr Gilbert was alive when he fell into the dock.

East Sussex coroner Alan Craze said: "No one has any idea what happened to Ian after he left the group."

Recording an open verdict, Mr Craze said he would back calls for a new inquest should significant fresh information surface.