A PROLIFIC drug user was found dead on a chair after his housemate thought he had been asleep.

Ian Gordon Reid died on July 24 with heroin, methadone and cocaine in his system.

Ian’s family said he had struggled with a drug problem over 30 years and despite having short periods off drugs he was never able to properly break away from it.

A statement from his sister Tracey said: “I love my big brother Ian very much and I miss him.

“I take comfort knowing he is with my parents now.”

An inquest at Accrington Town Hall, heard a statement from Ian's house mate Scott Gregson that on the evening of Friday, July 23, Scott went to buy cider from the Co-op near his home on Ouseburn Road, Blackburn, for them both to drink.

He offered Ian, 52, a room about two months earlier, because he had just come out of hospital following a stomach operation.

Scott said he knew that Ian has used drugs in the past but said he was unaware that he was using drugs again.

He said on the Friday evening, the pair drank six litres of cider together and that he was unclear on the full details of the night as he was drunk.

He said that at some point two people visited Ian but he was unsure of who the people were or why they were there.

Scott said he fell asleep around 2am and woke up the following day in the afternoon between 1pm and 3pm laid on the sofa.

Ian was sitting in the chair leaning to the side with Scott saying it appeared he was asleep so he left him.

Scott said he tidied up the bottles of cider and then watched a film before realising at about 5pm that he had not seen Ian move.

He tried to shout to wake him and when his didn’t work, he shook him and realised that he was quite stiff so called 999 who told him to perform CPR until paramedics arrived.

When the ambulance crews arrived, police were called.

A toxicology report showed that Ian had cocaine, methadone and heroin in his system as well as a number of other prescription medication, but showed no evidence of alcohol consumption.

In the living room police found tin foil with heroin residue, a smoke charred inhaler piece with cocaine residue, with coroner Mark Williams saying that it was clear drugs had been used in that room.

Detective Inspector Katherine Riley said that the wound where Ian had his stomach operation had gone greenish in colour.

Coroner Williams concluded that Ian died of drug poisoning.

He said: “Mr Reid was a 52-year-old man who had a long history of involvement in drug misuse which can be traced all the way back to the 1990s.

“Ian had been to Inspire to try and get assistance but the last contact was 2018.

“He was taking drugs that night and its clear from toxicology he had been taking methadone, heroin and cocaine.

“At some point overnight into the early house of July 25, Ian passed away.”