THE family of a man who died from methadone poisoning have paid tribute to him.

An inquest in Bishop Auckland heard yesterday that Christopher Shorland died after taking a small dose of the drug.

The coroner heard the drug belonged to his fiancee, Rachel Beddard, who was prescribed it for heroin addiction.

The couple were house-sitting for Miss Beddard's parents, in Wycliffe Close, Newton Aycliffe, when Mr Shorland died.

The inquest was told that Mr Shorland had complained of feeling unwell on the day he died.

In a written statement, Miss Beddard said he had asked if a cap full of methadone would help his stomach pain.

The couple later enjoyed an evening in the house with Mr Shorland's brother, Andrew, who was visiting from his home in Devon, and had gone to bed about midnight.

Mr Shorland died in his sleep that night.

Consultant pathologist Dr James Sunter said the 28-year-old had 0.4 micrograms of methadone per millilitre of blood in his body.

Dr Sunter said it was a relatively small dose that many drug addicts would have had a high tolerance of, but it had proved lethal for Mr Shorland, who was obviously not used to taking hard drugs.

Kenneth Howe, Deputy North Durham Coroner, recorded a verdict of accidental death.

The coroner said he felt that Mr Shorland never intended to take his own life, believing that the drug would somehow help with his stomach problem.

He said: "There is no evidence that this man was a habitual drug user.

"It is right to say that there is no evidence of a huge overdose, and a modest amount would not prove fatal to a user.''

Speaking after the inquest, Mr Shorland's father David, who lives in Devon, said that he felt his son would not have taken the methadone knowingly.

He said: "He was a good, hard-working man who has been tragically taken from his family far too early. Our lives have been ripped apart.