A MAN was found dead after taking a heroin overdose, prompting the arrest of three people, an inquest heard.

Burnley Coroner's Court heard that Sean Finch, 35, had been released from prison weeks earlier and his tolerance levels for the drug would have been significantly lower than normal.

He was discovered collapsed at the home in Thorn Street, Burnley, which he shared with Mark Jackson, Lee Murphy and Nicola Bonsall, on October 22 last year.

An ambulance was called and Mr Finch was rushed to the accident and emergency department at Burnley General Hospital.

But he could not be resuscitated by medical staff and was pronounced dead shortly afterwards, the court was told.

Three people were initially arrested following the discovery of Mr Finch's body, on suspicion of supplying heroin, but it was confirmed that no further action was taken by police in relation to the death.

In a statement, Mr Murphy, a fellow drug user, said that he and Mr Finch bought a £25 bag of heroin, which they intended to share.

Mr Finch had collapsed onto a sofa after injecting the drug into his groin but Mr Murphy said that this was not an unusual occurrence.

"The heroin me and Sean took that day was no different than before. I did not suffer any ill effects," he added in his statement.

Pathologist Dr Wahid Salman said that the cause of death was either morphine or heroin toxicity - he had 660mg of the drug per litre of blood in his system. Levels of over 400mg are usually associated with fatalities.

The inquest heard that traces of other drugs such as diazepam, ketamine, cocaine, cannabis and codeine were detected in Mr Finch's body.

East Lancashire coroner Richard Taylor said that Mr Finch, who was a known drug user, had been awaiting an operation for the amputation of his foot.

The court was told that Mr Finch had suffered ill health after suffering a broken pelvis in an accident a few years ago.

Recording an accidental verdict, Mr Taylor said: "It is quite clear that Sean was in considerable pain and discomfort and would no doubt have been very worried about the operation."

The deceased's tolerance levels for taking heroin had been lowered because he had only been out of prison for three or four weeks, he added.