IGNORANCE killed my son - that's the belief of tragic mum Niamh Noone whose teenage son died of a drugs overdose.

Gareth, aged 16, was found dead in bed at his home in Langho last October after taking a cocktail of methadone and Tamazepam.

But a post mortem showed the dose of the heroin-substitute he took was so small it would only have killed an inexperienced user.

His mother, who is Lancashire Police's solicitor, said: "Had Gareth known what these drugs could do to his body he wouldn't have taken them.

"Looking back I think it was the second time Gareth had taken methadone because the weekend before he died he came home acting strangely.

"Later that week he came to me and admitted he had got in with a bad crowd. But he said 'don't worry, I will get out of it'.

"I wish I has pursued it further but I don't think I could have stopped him. The only thing that could was if he had known the effects of what he was going to take."

Now, Miss Noone is urging parents and teachers to support an innovative drugs information programme called the Life Education Trust for Lancashire.

The trust sends mobile drugs education centres to schools teaching children aged three to 15 the positive aspects of good health and the dangers posed by all kinds of drugs, including tobacco and alcohol.

Gareth's mother said: "If we can prevent another family suffering like we have then our son's death won't have been in vain. No-one should go through pain like this."

Each of the hi-tec mobile centres - which include video screens and working models of the human body - costs around £60,000 and the trust is desperately in need of funds to provide one for each of the six education districts in Lancashire. If you can help, call chairman of the trust Edwin Jacks on 01524 63721.

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