TWO men died of drug overdoses after injecting heroin in a supermarket car park, an inquest was told.

Alan Kirkwood and Darren Frendo were both found in the stairwell of the Tesco multi-storey car park in Cross Street, Chatham, after taking the drugs with friends, on separate occasions.

Police appealed for information over the whereabouts of Mr Kirkwood, 35, before he died, as he had been reported missing. A shopper discovered his body on level four of the building a few days later.

Pathology reports revealed that the father-of-four had been drinking and had over twice the therapeutic level of morphine in his blood.

He had a puncture wound on the inside of his right elbow and a lighter and two syringes were found next to his body on May 12, 2004.

The inquest heard how Mr Kirkwood began to use heroin regularly after he lost his job and his stepfather committed suicide. He had been treated at Gillingham's Medway Maritime Hospital after an overdose.

Coroner Roger Sykes recorded a verdict of death caused by alcohol and morphine poisoning. He said: “I am satisfied that Alan’s death was due to the misuse of drugs. It is very likely that he had been unaware of the risks he was taking because of the amount of alcohol he had consumed.”

Darren Frendo, who was also known as Darren Cosgrove overdosed on the drug after meeting a friend outside a rehabilitation centre in Manor Road, Chatham, in November 2004.

Mr Sykes recorded a verdict of death caused by the misuse of drugs. He said: “I am satisfied that Darren willingly took heroin. He collapsed before medical treatment was available and lapsed into a coma. He suffered a lack of oxygen to the brain.

“It was a great surprise to his former girlfriend that he took such a large amount of the drug, but there is no evidence to suggest it was against his will.”