A TODDLER drowned in a garden pond at his parents' Kidderminster home on one of the hottest days of the year.

Twenty-two-month-old Andrew Condon died on Monday morning at Birmingham Children's Hospital, two days after he fell in to the pond in Whittall Drive East at about 12.40pm on Saturday.

He was the youngest child of Frank Condon and Sam Griffin.

They issued a statement through Kidderminster Police to say: "Andrew was a happy and contented child who took everything in his stride.

"We can only hope the loss of our golden child will increase public awareness to ensure that no other family has to endure an horrific incident such as this."

Worcestershire coroner Victor Round, who on Tuesday opened and adjourned an inquest into the death, said there had been a "social occasion" at the house attended by "a lot of adults" on the day of the accident.

He said: "The little one was found apparently drowned in the goldfish pond at the home address.

"An ambulance was called out and in resuscitation some sort of cardiac output was obtained but very high blood acid levels indicated the heart had been stopped for a long time.

"He was brought to hospital with severe brain damage."

Andrew had first been taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester before he was transferred to Birmingham.

Mr Round added a post mortem examination had not been held but said the consultant paediatrician in Birmingham Dr Fiona Reynolds put Andrew's death down to "brain damage due to lack of oxygen due to drowning".