THE Prison Service has said it will study concerns raised by a coroner about the death of an imate in a North-East jail cell.

Kevin Rayner, 39, died at Durham Prison on September 8, 2011 where he was being held as he awaited trial.

At an inquest, which ended this week, coroner Andrew Tweddle said Mr Rayner died as a result of the effects of two drugs he used to tackle heroin and alcohol abuse.

He recorded a verdict of misadventure in the inquest at Crook, County Durham, but raised several issues which he said had contributed to the death.

Mr Tweddle said a failure by health care advisors to properly appreciate the effects and danger of the drugs Mr Rayner was prescribed was a factor in his death.

A further point of note was a failure of prison staff, excluding health care providers, to appreciate the dangers to Mr Rayner’s health of him being on an alcohol and methadone treatment programme.

Mr Tweddle added that a failure of prison staff, excluding health care providers, to recognise the symptoms of methadone over sedation or respiratory distress in Mr Rayner was also contributory to his death.

The inquest had heard that Mr Rayner had drunk one and a half litres of vodka daily before he was jailed and was taking methadone to tackle a heroin habit.

Fellow prisoners had told the inquest that Mr Rayner had seemed stoned in the days before his death.

A Prison Service spokesman said: “The National Offender Management Service will consider the inquest findings.

“It will see what lessons can be learned on top of those already learned as a result of the investigation conducted by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.”