A 23-month-old boy has died following a tumble into a neighbour's swimming pool.

Matthew Gowans was found by his distraught father, who fought to revive him by mouth to mouth resuscitation, at 1.30pm last Thursday.

Matthew, who had been playing in the garden at his home in Calcot Hill, Clent, minutes before the accident, was rushed to Birmingham's Diana, Princess of Wales Children's Hospital by air ambulance but died shortly after midnight on Friday.

Villagers are shocked by the tragedy and Matthew's parents, who have not returned to their home since the incident, are being comforted by relatives.

An inquest was opened on Monday afternoon and police are carrying out a full investigation.

Roger Vincent, of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: "Unfortunately 80 per cent of incidents of children drowning occur on other people's property."

He added that ponds held the same dangers for youngsters.

"The only surefire way to prevent an accident is to fill in any garden ponds because young children can drown in only two to three inches of water," he said.