A WELL-LOVED former mayor for Barrow died suddenly as a result of a natural disease accelerated by acute alcohol consumption on New Year’s Day, an inquest heard.

Rory McClure died at the age of 57 at his home on Abbey Road after celebrating the new year the night before, Cockermouth Coroner’s Court heard.

Councillor McClure, who received numerous tributes upon the news of his death, served the Roosecote ward for 15 years and was mayor of the town between 2010 and 2011.

The father-of-two died as a result of coronary artery atheroma and aortic valve disease accelerated by acute alcohol consumption, pathologist Dr Sarah Hawkswell told the court.

In a statement given by Mr McClure’s son Rowen, the court was told of how his father had joined the shipyard as a craftsman after school before going to Leeds University to complete a degree in design engineering and played football, squash and archery to a high-level in his youth.

“He was a very caring dad supported me and Cameron in the various activities we did,” Rowen said.

“He would never raise his voice.

“He left the shipyard in 1994 and later opened his own business, an auction house, with his wife Wendy McClure.”

They closed the auction house in 2016 to retire.

“On Boxing Day dad looked unwell and exhausted,” Rowen continued.

“The last time we spoke was on January 1 early in the morning to wish him a happy new year.”

Rowen went on to tell the court that the whole family had come down with a virus which they believed to be the flu over that period.

He also said that New Year’s Eve would have been the first time his father would have drank alcohol in about a month because of this.

Police officers who attended the scene on January 1 said there were no suspicious circumstances and that paramedics pronounced him dead at 5.10pm that day.

A statement from Mr McClure’s GP at Liverpool House Surgery said that Mr McClure had been recommended to join Alcoholics Anonymous as they were worried about his intake following a family bereavement.

A toxicology report found he had 255mg of alcohol per decilitre of blood which is below levels associated with fatality.

The toxicologist said the significance would depend on tolerance, which coroner Ms Kirsty Gomersal said would have been low due to him not drinking for a month and already cutting back prior to getting ill.

In her conclusion following a post-mortem from Dr Sarah Hawkswell, Ms Gomersal said: “Rory had suffered from serious heart disease.

“The left anterior artery had reduced to the size of a pinpoint.

“I accept the cause of death offered to me.

“My judgement is that he has died due to a natural disease which has been contributed to by acute alcohol consumption.”