THE sister of a Taunton man who died after consuming alcohol and methadone claims her mother was not informed of his death by police.

Gareth Jones, 52 of Tancred Street, was found dead on February 26, 2017, at his flat at Gatehouse Court.

At an inquest in Taunton on January 17, senior coroner Tony Williams read a statement from Mr Jones' sister, Sian Owen, explaining that her brother's life changed after he suffered a brain injury in an accident in 2001.

Miss Owen said after the accident her brother did not have the mental capacity to look after his affairs and moved to Taunton in 2007 after receiving a substantial financial settlement with his affairs being managed by a solicitor.

Miss Owen said Mr Jones got into a routine of drinking on a regular basis after the accident but said he had no issues withdrawing from alcohol.

On the day of his death, Mr Jones had been drinking with friends at his property on Tankridge Street when he fell to the floor and was unresponsive.

Paramedics were called to the property and attempted to resuscitate Mr Jones but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The coroner read a statement from Caroline Cox, a paramedic who treated Mr Jones, which said paramedics called for back-up from police as drunken people in Mr Jones' flat were hindering their efforts to revive him.

A toxicology report revealed that Mr Jones was nearly three times over the drink drive limit and had 0.21mg of methadone in his blood at the time of his death.

The report said while both substances were not at toxic levels, the drugs had acted 'synergistically' and as a result toxicity within Mr Jones' body was compounded.

A post mortem report confirmed that Mr Jones died of acute toxicity due to the compounding effect of alcohol and methadone.

The coroner then read a statement from PC Warren explaining that officers searched the property for drug paraphernalia and details of Mr Jones' next of kin but did not find them.

Speaking at the inquest, Lorraine Jones, Mr Jones' mother, said: "The police never called me to tell me that Gareth had died, I was told by his friend Lindsey."

In his statement, PC Warren said officers tried to get a statement from Matthew Barnes, Mr Jones' flatmate, but said they were unsuccessful as he was 'heavily intoxicated' and 'extremely confused'.

After Mr Jones' death, Miss Owen formally complained to police as she said officers who attended the scene on the day of Mr Jones' death 'didn't do their jobs'.

Miss Owen claims drugs were visible at the scene and she felt officers didn't do enough to contact Mr Jones' mother after his death.

Speaking at the coroners court, Miss Owen said: "I hope the next time there is a sudden death they (the police) pay a bit more attention and do their job.

"However far I could have taken it, it wouldn't change anything."

Senior coroner Tony Williams gave a short narrative to conclude the inquest.

"On or around February 26, 2017 on specific times and locations that are not determined, Gareth Jones consumed alcohol and methadone to a fatally toxic effect," he said.

"The circumstances of how he came to consume methadone have not been determined."

The coroner recorded the cause of death as acute toxicity due to the compounding effect of alcohol and methadone.