ONE drug user ended up dead and his friend was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after they shared heroin and cocaine bought in Blackburn town centre.

An inquest heard that Lee Swailes, 35, who had recently been released from prison, had also taken diazepam, a sedative drug, and the combination had killed him.

His friend and fellow user, Paul McCartney, told the inquest how he had returned home to find Mr Swailes unresponsive but breathing.

He put him in the recovery position, covered him in a quilt and went to bed.

The next day he got up at lunch time and his friend was still in the same position and had turned a "funny" colour.

And speaking after the inquest Mr McCartney said that finding his "mate" dead had hit him hard.

"I didn't realise how serious it was," said Mr McCartney, who is now living in Blackpool in an attempt to get away from drugs. "I just wish I could have done something to help him."

Mr McCartney told the inquest he and Mr Swailes had gone into town on May 27 and spent £25 on heroin and cocaine. They went back to an address in Peridot Close, Blackburn, which belonged to a friend where they injected the drugs.

Mr McCartney went to Gala Bingo to see his former girlfriend and went back to the house at about 10.30pm.

He said he woke Mr Swailes but he kept going back to sleep.

"I put him in the recovery position, put a cushion under his head, covered him in a quilt and I went to bed," said Mr McCartney.

When he got up the following day he found Mr Swailes in the same position and called the emergency services.

Mr McCartney told police how he and Mr Swailes had been into town and bought the drugs.

He was later he was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and supplying class A drugs. He was released without charge Home Office pathologist Naomi Carter said that as well as heroin and cocaine tests had revealed a high level of diazepam.

Coroner Michael Singleton said he was satisfied Mr Swailes had self injected heroin and taken a number of diazepam tablets.

"As a result he lapsed into coma and died," said Mr Singleton who recorded a verdict of misadventure.

He said it was clear that people returning to a drug habit needed to be aware their tolerance may be compromised.

"I am also concerned that people do not have a clear understanding of how different drugs react with each other," said Mr Singleton.

"Mr Swailes may have been able to tolerate the level of heroin or the level of diazepam but put together they created a fatal concoction."

The medical cause of death was given as morphine and diazepam toxicity.