Painkillers and alcohol claimed life of rough sleeper Trudy

Trudy McGregor, 50, was found unresponsive in a shop doorway on Talbot Road in the early hours of June 30.

Passers by, including an off-duty nurse, tried desperately to save her life by carrying out CPR, her inquest revealed.

The hearing, at Blackpool Town Hall today, heard how Ms McGregor was last seen alive at around 2.15am on the day she died, when it is believed she may have shared a spliff containing the synthetic drug spice with a friend.

She was found slumped in the doorway of Heron Foods around 35 minutes later by people who were on a night out.

An ambulance was called and she was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 3.49am.

Reading out a statement from PC Nathan Peacock, who attended the scene, coroner Alan Wilson described the area Ms McGregor was found as 'a well known spot for street drinkers and drug users both in the evening and during the day.'

A postmortem examination revealed she was suffering from severe cirrhosis of the liver. She had a small amount of alcohol in her body, and an elevated level of dihydrocodeine, a pain relief drug.

Coroner Wilson accepted the cause of death was dihydrocodeine and alcohol, contributed to by cirrhosis.

Handing down a conclusion of death by misadventure, he said: "It seems to me that, not knowing the extent of the disease of her liver, she has taken an elevated amount of medication.

"She had a severely diseased liver which left her more vulnerable to the toxic effects of the medication, which, with alcohol, proved fatal."