AN ALCOHOLIC who started drinking in the mornings to ease hangovers was found dead with almost double fatal levels of alcohol in his blood.

Carl Daniel Rollins was 35 when he died at his home in Barrow on May 26 last year.

At an inquest into his sudden death, assistant coroner Robert Chapman recorded a verdict of an alcohol-related death.

The inquest heard how the self-employed window cleaner had a history of alcohol excess.

He had tried a number of detox programmes to stop drinking, but these would only last a matter of weeks at most before he started drinking again. He would also suffer seizures as a result of not drinking.

In a statement read out at the inquest, his father Michael said: "He was one of my two sons and he grew up quite happily.

"It wasn't until he was about 29 when we became concerned that he had a problem.

"We tried to help him and he went to rehab but every time he'd start drinking again."

He had been prescribed diazepam to ease the withdrawal symptoms, and a small amount was also found in his system.

A toxicology report following his death showed he had 569 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, almost double usual fatal levels of 300 microgrammes.

Mr Rollins had started drinking early in the morning on the day of his death, having walked into town to buy a bottle of whisky. He then returned to town and drank more, before sleeping during the afternoon. After buying and drinking another bottle of whisky, Mr Rollins went to bed at around 9.30pm.

He was discovered by his partner Tracy Jones when she went to bed at midnight.

Concluding the inquest at Barrow Town Hall on August 11, Mr Chapman said: "It is clear that while Mr Rollins was only 35 he had a considerable history of alcohol abuse.

"He did have a considerable number of detox attempts, about eight or nine in the last few years.

"While he said he wanted to stop again shortly before his death, it appears that he has gone back to drinking a substantial amount each day.

"The levels of alcohol in his blood was way over what has been seen in the past, a level where people can, and will, die.

"When you think the drink-drive limit is 80 microgrammes, you can readily see the effect a level of 569 can have on someone."

A postmortem following Mr Rollins's death found he suffered from fatty liver disease.