AN INQUEST has been opened into the death of a 51-year-old man from a suspected drugs overdose.
Vincent Ireland was found dead at his Clayton-le-Moors bedsit on 12 August.
The alarm was raised by Christian charity Maundy Relief when he missed his usual daily visit.
Mr Ireland, who was well-known in Accrington and Clayton, was one of six tenants living in self-contained bedsits with a shared bathroom.
Maundy Relief provides food parcels to other tenants at the same Church Street address, and is closely linked to the landlord.
The charity's co-founder Dorothy McGregor said Mr Ireland had been coming to them every day for the last 10 years, but she had known him since he was "a
little boy".
She said: "It is a very deep loss and leaves a black hole for all of us. He was very much part of the fabric of Maundy Relief. He had got very severe problems and was quite poorly physically.
"He had terrible seizures every day but despite that he did want to live. He came for food and comfort and respite and laughter."
A fellow tenant said: "He has been here since before Christmas. I didn't see him on Tuesday or Wednesday, which I thought was odd. It's sad for him to die on his own."
A police spokesman said: "Police were called to Church Street, Clayton-le-Moors, at 4.50pm after the discovery of a 51-year-old man who had died, apparently from a drug overdose. There were no suspicious circumstances."
The inquest was told that items of drug paraphernalia were found in the room where the body was discovered.
A post-mortem has been carried out, but further tests are required to establish the cause of death.
