A man who collapsed and died in a Folkestone car park had suffered a drug overdose, an inquest heard.

Mathew Worsdell was in Lower Sandgate Road at about 4.30pm on September 13 when he fell over railings and appeared to suffer a seizure.

Police officers and then ambulance staff tried to resuscitate the 34-year-old but he was pronounced dead at 5.47pm.

A hearing at Archbishop’s Palace in Maidstone on Wednesday last week was told Mr Worsdell had a long history of drug-taking, including heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine and cannabis, as well as an addiction to prescription drugs, dating back to 2003.

He had suffered drug overdoses in 2013, 2014 and in August this year and had made repeated attempts to address his problems.

His substance misuse had resulted in a number of health issues, including being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis.

Last year Mr Worsdell, of Approach Road, Shepherdswell, underwent a detox at Bridge House near Maidstone after contacting Turning Point, an organisation helping people overcome their addictions.

That September, he was admitted to a residential rehabilitation course in Oxford but was discharged after being found with banned substances.

Just days later, he was readmitted but left this summer without completing the course.

He returned to Folkestone and straightaway started using drugs again, the inquest was told.

Tragically, he had contacted Turning Point in the week before he died to ask if he could go back to rehab.

On the day of his death, he had been due to have a barbecue with friends but witnesses reported seeing him collapse several times.

Police found four text messages on his phone from someone willing to sell him drugs.

A post-mortem examination revealed he had taken heroin and cocaine and cause of death was given as heroin intoxication.

Assistant coroner for central and south east Kent, Katrina Hepburn, concluded: “This is a case where Mr Worsdell was a regular user of illicit drugs and died from an acute overdose.”