A POPULAR 22-year-old man died of smoke inhalation when the car he was sleeping in was engulfed in flames, an inquest has heard.

Tom Hadwin, of Holly Cottage, Underley, near Kirkby Lonsdale, died in the early hours of November 6 last year, in what police detectives have described as a ‘tragic accident’.

Family heard how a fun evening out drinking with friends in Kirkby Lonsdale following a football training session had ended in tragedy.

After visiting pubs in the town on Bonfire Night, Mr Hadwin, an electrician for Scott Kirk Electrical Contractors, had gone on to a party at a friend’s flat for more drinks.

After that party Mr Hadwin decided to go back to his car and, instead of driving home drunk, decided to sleep off the effects of the booze on the rear seat of the silver three-door Citroen Saxo parked in Mitchelgate.

Ian Smith, coroner for South and East Cumbria, said: “He took the sensible decision of not driving the motor car, which was the right one in essence.

"He had drunk enough to be in a pre-coma – enough to put him asleep.”

Mr Smith said that Mr Hadwin had switched the engine on and had revved the car to get the heaters warm more quickly – this was heard by nearby residents.

“He was revving it in order to deliberately heat it up to keep him warm in the car,” he said.

“I suspect he fell asleep quickly because of the drink.

“Then within 20 minutes people living nearby, who had heard the revving heard the explosion.

"It was probably only at that point where Tom Hadwin became aware of what was happening.”

The inquest heard that PC Shaun McKeown, a forensic vehicle examiner, had inspected the wreckage of Mr Hadwin’s car with a Citroen engineer.

They discovered that a fuel leak at the back of the engine had caused the fire.

The blaze had then spread down a pipe to the fuel tank, which exploded.

This caused fires within the passenger compartment of the car, which soon filled with smoke and toxic fumes.

“He would have been confused,” said Mr Smith.

“He would have woken from a deep sleep. He was in the back of a three-door car where he had to move the seat to get out.

“These poisonous gases can affect you very quickly. He ended up in the back of the car, unable to save himself and was overcome by the toxic substances.”

Mr Smith recorded the cause of death as accidental.