Engineer died after heroin use

Engineer Mr Barry Nash (37) was found dead at his home in Burnley Road by his wife Emma on April 19th this year after he returned home from working a night shift.

An inquest at Burnley Coroner’s Court heard how Mr Nash had been seeking help at addiction service Inspire and was also taking the prescribed heroin substitute methadone. He was said to be very keen to stop his drug use.

In a statement, Mrs Nash said she was only aware that her husband was taking methadone, and that he had always been in work as an engineer.

East Lancashire Coroner Mr Richard Taylor heard that Mr Nash had returned home from a night shift at 7am and went to bed as usual.

However, he was later found unresponsive. There was evidence of recent drug use in the form of a used syringe.

Pathologist Dr Richard Prescott, who conducted the post-mortem examination, said toxicological tests showed the presence of heroin which “would have been severe even in a tolerant user.”

There was also a “chronic” therapeutic level of methadone.

Coroner Mr Richard Taylor recorded a conclusion of drug-related death.