THE death of a South Lakeland man with heart disease was drugs-related, it was concluded at an inquest.

John Charter, 57, had prescribed methadone and a mixture of unprescribed drugs in his body at the time of his death.

Coroner Kirsty Gomersal concluded the drugs, which included Diazepam and cocaine, combined with his heart problems to bring about the tragedy.

He was found dead at his home in Back Lane, Staveley, by a friend on the morning of March 29. Emergency services were called and CPR administered but to no avail.

The inquest heard Mr Charter was admitted to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary on February 8, 2021, after being found drinking hand sanitiser in a Kendal car park.

Cockermouth Coroner’s Court was told Mr Charter revealed while at the hospital that he had a 30-year history of substance misuse.

He was discharged from hospital on February 9 and placed under the care of an outpatient mental health team.

Jessica Newell, mental health liaison practitioner at the Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust, said Mr Charter had expressed a desire to reduce his heroin use and increase methadone - often used as a substitute drug in addiction treatment - instead.

Ms Newell said that, during a conversation she had with Mr Charter in late February, he reported a reduction in suicidal thoughts and paranoid ideas.

Owing to an improvement in his condition, he was discharged on March 10, the inquest was told.

Gary King, a recovery coordinator with the Unity drug and alcohol recovery service in Kendal, said Mr Charter reported in a telephone appointment on March 26 that he was using heroin regularly but was not using alcohol and other drugs.

Ms Gomersal said the inquest had been given very little personal information about Mr Charter except that he was known to be ‘a pleasant gentleman and a chef by trade’. His heart problems included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Concluding Mr Charter’s death was drugs-related, Ms Gomersal said he had reported suicidal thoughts but that these had lacked planning and intent.

“There is no evidence that John intended to harm himself when he took the drugs in question,” she said.