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Painkiller overdose kills Blackpool man
A BLACKPOOL man died after an overdose of prescription painkillers he was addicted to, an inquest heard.
Winston Allerton – known as "Yorkie" to his friends – spent up to 90 per cent of his income on the drugs.
The 64-year-old was given only small amounts of the medication by his doctor, but would meet drug dealers in the street in order to buy more pills, his friend Annette Heath said.
Mr Allerton's inquest in Blackpool came days after an all-party Parliamentary group of MPs produced a report warning of the dangers of people becoming addicted to over-the-counter pain-killers containing codeine.
And assistant deputy coroner for Blackpool, Christopher Beverley, who recorded the verdict Mr Allerton died through dependency on drugs, said: "So often we think of drug dependency being limited to young people, but it's unfortunately something that can affect every age group."
Mr Allerton, of North Promenade, Blackpool, was found to have a lethal dose of methadone and dihydrocodeine in his body.
A postmortem examination also showed he had severe arterial sclerosis and damage to his heart.
He also had traces of the painkillers codeine and tramadol in his system.
Mr Beverley said: "There is no evidence to suggest Mr Allerton intended to take his own life.
"What is quite apparent is that Mr Allerton had an addiction to painkillers. He lost his leg to bone cancer at an early age and this may have been the time he began to be dependent on the drugs."
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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