A man who was found unconscious in the street outside his home died from a drug overdose, a court heard.

The inquest into the death of Ben Sharman opened this morning at Archbishop's Palace in Maidstone.

Police sealed off Peel Street in Maidstone after the 40-year-old was found unconscious at around 6.20am on Friday, June 2.

Paramedics made attempts to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

He had been living at Ragstone Lodge, and was unemployed at the time of his death.

The inquest heard that Mr Sharman had had an operation to transfer bone marrow from one part of his body to another which had seriously affected his mobility, and left him needing aids to walk.

A post-mortem examination determined he had died from multiple drug toxicity - a build up of drugs in his system.

It was not detailed at this hearing what the drugs were or why Mr Sharman had been taking them.

Katrina Hepburn, assistant coroner for Mid-Kent and Medway, adjourned the full inquest until Tuesday, September 19.