An inquest heard the death of a 35-year-old man who lived in Barrow was alcohol, drug and heart-disease related.

Craig Alan Shepherd was pronounced dead by paramedics at 4.10pm at his home at Dumfries Street on January 29 2021 after his partner, Leanne Shaw, had found him unresponsive on the floor.

Ms Shaw paid tribute to Mr Shepherd. "He was alovely lad when he didn't have alcohol in his system, a beautiful and generous man, and was the best cook ever," she said.

The inquest heard Ms Shaw had awoken around lunchtime by Mr Shepherd's brother knocking at the door looking for him as he had arranged to help him tidy his yard and could not get hold of him.

Ms Shaw said she then found Mr Shepherd on the floor in the living room but that he often used to fall asleep 'in random places' - and she told him to 'stop being silly'.

It was only when she realised some time later Mr Shepherd was not breathing she began to perform CPR and called for an ambulance.

Assistant Coroner for Cumbria Craig Smith heard from Mr Shepherd's mother, who said: "Craig was a wonderful son, he adored me, I was his angel, and Craig's death has left a massive hole in my heart."

She said she was diagnosed with heart failure at 32 years old and had been receiving treatment ever since and that the condition may have been passed down.

In summary Mr Smith said it was a clear Mr Shepherd had a history of problems with anxiety, depression, drugs and alcohol, and that he had sporadically engaged with Unity Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service, from which he was discharged on November 20 2020.

Paramedics estimate Mr Shepherd had been dead for at least three hours by the time they officially diagnosed his death.

Toxicology and post-mortem reports showed he had high levels of alcohol in his system as well as several other substances.

Mr Smith officially pronounced Mr Shepherd's cause of death as the combined toxicity of alcohol and various other drugs in conjunction with ischaemic heart disease.