A young father-of-three found dead in bed next to his wife on Christmas Day had taken a fatal amount of cocaine, an inquest heard.

David Saunders, known as Dazy, had also been drinking and was double the drink-drive limit.

Local butcher Mr Saunders, 34, was found dead in bed at his family home in Grange Road, St Michael’s, in the early hours of Christmas Day by his wife, Kelly.

The inquest heard from pathologist Dr Nicola Chaston that he had died from cocaine toxicity.

She told the hearing the amount of cocaine in Mr Saunders's body was high, in the fatal range.

The amount of alcohol was also high, but not fatal, at double the legal drink-drive limit.

Mrs Saunders, 32, said that her husband had gone out on Christmas Eve after work while she stayed at home wrapping presents.

She went to bed and woke at 3.30am on Christmas Day for a drink of water, not knowing Mr Saunders had arrived home.

He was not breathing.

She dialled 999 and carried out CPR under the instruction of ambulance staff until paramedics arrived.

PC Michael Moore went to the house after being called by the ambulance service.

He told the inquest there was no drug paraphernalia there.

He had asked Mrs Saunders if her husband took drugs and she had said that he used cocaine recreationally.

She did not know he had used it that night, and did not know where he would have taken it.

Coroner Rachel Redman concluded that Mr Saunders died as a result of misuse of drugs.

Mr Saunders worked at the Farm Butchers shops in St Michael’s and Tenterden.

He and his wife had three children, Daisy-Mae, four, Beau, two, and Vincent, 11 months.