Thomas Richardson (23) was found dead at his home in Hobart Street, Burnley, on February 16th.

Mr Richardson's parents travelled from Worcestershire for the hearing, at which his father, Mr Michael Richardson, described his son as "a gentle lad who everybody liked".

He said: "Thomas went off the rails a bit when he was 18 and started taking drugs. We thought he was on a collision course with the law, but he moved to Fleetwood and seemed to settle down. He met a girl and they had a baby together, and he also had a job at a butcher's shop.

"He got back in touch and we were then in contact regularly. However, his life seemed to go wrong again and he moved to Burnley for a fresh start."

The inquest heard from Claire Cooper, who had befriended Mr Richardson in Burnley and was part of a group of friends who socialised and sometimes smoked cannabis together.

She said: "We would smoke cannabis, but I was never aware Thomas took anything else. Shortly before he died, Thomas complained of having a bad pain in his leg so I gave him co-codamol. He was a lovely lad and was always laughing and joking. It was as if we had been friends for years. He was due to start a job at a call centre in Nelson and seemed very happy."

Home Office pathologist Dr Naomi Carter conducted the post-mortem examination and gave the cause of death as the combined toxic effects of morphine and codeine.

She said: "Drugs paraphernalia, including syringes, were found at the flat and, on examination, I found needle puncture marks at the bend of the elbow. Toxological tests showed he had morphine and codeine in his system.

"The morphine came from heroin and the codeine either originated from painkillers or heroin. The codeine would have exacerbated the depressant effect the morphine had on the body."

East Lancashire Coroner Mr Richard Taylor recorded a verdict of accidental death. He said: "I see a picture of a popular young man who was trying to turn his life around. He was trying to find employment and settle down. It may be that he didn't want his friends to know of his heroin use."