A MAN from Walney died a drug-related death after taking heroin for the first time in eight months, an inquest heard yesterday.

A hearing at Barrow Town Hall heard that Robert Arthur Neal, 44, was found dead by police in his house in Cote Ley Crescent on June 18.

The hearing was told that Mr Neal was found in his bedroom by PC Bradley Goss.

Officers had been called after the man’s partner, who was receiving treatment at Furness General Hospital, contacted them concerned for his welfare, suspecting he may have overdosed after she spent days unable to contact him.

A post-mortem examination found Mr Neal had a number of substances in his body at the time of death.

These included diazepam, often used to treat anxiety; cocaine; and opioid substances from heroin use.

The inquest heard he was last seen by neighbours the day before his death getting in to a car owned by a man from whom he had bought a vacuum online.

Mr Neal was said to be responding well to treatment for heroin addiction and was keen to reduce his methadone use in the months before his death. He had not used heroin for eight months prior to his death.

The coroner concluded it was a drug-related death causing by toxicity in Mr Neal’s system from taking cocaine and heroin.

Mr Neal was originally from Goole in East Yorkshire and moved to Barrow in 2006

The father-of-two is survived by father Raymond and two brothers, Daniel and Martin.