A MAN with a history of alcohol and drug abuse was found dead in a flat in the West End of Morecambe, an inquest has heard.

Alan Robert Simpson, 32, of the Castlemaine Hotel, Clarendon Road, had moved to Morecambe from Glasgow and had been using controlled drugs since his teens.

On September 17 last year, Simpson had been drinking heavily and had gone to his room to inject himself with heroin.

His friend, Brian MacMaster, had checked on him and had seen him slumped on the floor next to a syringe. He had green mucous coming from his nose but was still breathing and appeared to be all right.

Several hours later MacMaster called to see Simpson again but this time he had stopped breathing and was cold to touch.

In a statement read out by coroner, Mr George Howson, Mr MacMaster said that Alan was a good lad but he had problems with heroin and drink. He had tried to detox himself at least 20 times before but each time he had gone back on heroin.

An autopsy by Dr Jane Edwards revealed that Simpson had many needle marks about his body and signs of hepatitis.

The toxicology analysis showed that his body contained a cocktail of drugs including morphine, alcohol, methadone and diazepam. Dr Edwards said: "He was living on borrowed time."

Recording a verdict of misadventure, Mr Howson said: "It's not for me to judge or be self-righteous but it's an aspect of modern life that yet again a young man has died of drug abuse in squalid circumstances."