Former Leeds man Christopher Hartley, 41, of no fixed address, had been assumed to be drunk and was left to sleep it off in toilets in Berkeley Street, Gloucester, an inquest heard.

The council worker who spotted him had gone to lock the toilets for the night, but because Mr Hartley was in the cubicle and could not be woken, the building was left unlocked so he could get out.

But the divorced father-of-two never did wake up because he had taken a fatal overdose of heroin and alcohol, the inquest was told.

Tragically, he had sought help for his drug problem just two days before he was found dead.

Coroner Alan Crickmore heard that Mr Hartley had been in the Gloucester area since December last year having left Leeds following a "bad divorce".

By the time of his death on February 24, he was suffering from heptatitis and flea infestation and had been seen injecting himself with heroin in Gloucester city centre.

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.

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