The alarm was raised by neighbours who had not seen Joel Robert Waite for ‘three or four days’

A man was found dead at his flat in Morecambe after drinking a ‘profound quantity’ of alcohol which left him more than five times the drink-drive limit.

Police were called to Joel Robert Waite’s flat in Grove Street on March 28 of this year after neighbours reported not having seen him for ‘three or four days’. When officers forced entry into the flat they found the 48-year-old dead inside with a number of empty vodka bottles by his side.

An inquest at Preston Coroner’s Court on Tuesday (May 31) heard that Mr Waite, who was born in Blackpool, was alcohol dependent. A post mortem CT scan revealed he had fatty liver disease which is commonly found in alcoholics.

Area Coroner Richard Taylor held the inquest as a documentary only hearing which means he read out statements and did not hear any live evidence relating to Mr Waite’s death. He read out the results of a post mortem toxicology test which revealed Mr Waite had a blood ethanol level of 426 milligrams of alcohol per litre of blood – the drink-drive limit for context is 80mg.

“Mr Waite had an alcohol level found in people who are profoundly intoxicated and which are associated with fatalities,” the coroner said. “A level of 300mg is not uncommon in fatal cases even in habitual drinkers.”

Matthew Waite said in a statement that his brother’s health had not always been good ‘which was mainly due to his excessive alcohol consumption’. “He never displayed any suicidal tendencies and he seemed in good spirits the last time we spoke,” he added.

Lancashire Constabulary confirmed there was no signs of third-party involvement in Mr Waite’s death and there were no suspicious circumstances.

Concluding that Mr Waite’s death was alcohol-related the coroner said: “Joel Robert Waite was found dead on February 15 at his home having ingested an excess of alcohol.”

• 05:45, 1 JUN 2022