A 22-YEAR-OLD man, who became involved with drugs at 14, died after taking a cocktail of heroin, alcohol and diazepam.

An inquest on Lee Steven McNeill, of Tremellen Street, Accrington, heard that he died on November 14 last year after injecting heroin with a friend.

Lee's mother, Kathleen McNeill, said her son had smoked cannabis and taken pills when he was 14. When he was 18 he split up with the mother of his child and began drinking heavily.

Mrs McNeill said she had also found tin foil in her son's bedroom, but no syringes or other drugs paraphernalia.

Two months before his death Lee, who was unemployed, became friends with John Sweeney, who lived in Princess Street, Accrington, with his partner.

In a police statement read at the inquest, Mr Sweeney said he knew Lee had an alcohol problem and used heroin and crack cocaine.

He said that on November 13 he and Lee injected equal amounts of heroin at his house and Lee fell asleep upstairs.

Around 3.30am the following morning Mr Sweeney went to check on Lee. He said: "He felt cold to touch and I feared he was dead."

Mr Sweeney called an ambulance, but was later told Lee had died. He was arrested on suspicion of possession of heroin and released on police bail, but officers have confirmed no further action will be taken.

A post mortem revealed Lee had alcohol, diazepam and heroin in his blood.

Coroner Michael Singleton said Lee had collapsed and died from an overdose of the combined drugs. He recorded a verdict of misadventure.

Mr Singleton said: "It would be my hope that out of this death there might be some youngster somewhere who may think twice before injecting, smoking or taking heroin in any other way, so their life might be prolonged."