A Suffolk man whose body was found curled up in a residential street by passers-by had taken a lethal dose of painkillers.

An inquest heard yesterday that 34-year-old Michael Harrowven was discovered in a “praying position” at the side of the road in Rendlesham on the morning of July 16.

The wiring technician had taken a fatal dose of prescription drug dipipanone, which he had mixed with alcohol the previous evening.

County coroner Dr Peter Dean said his death emphasised the “extreme dangers” of misusing controlled medicine.

Mr Harrowven was found on his knees and forearms at the junction of Sycamore Drive and Acer Road by two passing workmen. Following attempts by both men and paramedics to revive Mr Harrowven, he was pronounced dead just before 7.45am.

Shortly afterwards, his partner drove past the cordoned off scene and stopped to investigate, having not heard from Mr Harrowven since receiving two text messages the previous evening, in which he declared a need to “clear his head” but that he would return home.

After leaving their Redwald Road flat, Mr Harrowven visited the nearby address of a work colleague, who described him as being “upset” and said he made a phone call to obtain the drugs, which he referred to as “blues”, before leaving to purchase alcohol from a local shop and returning with noticeably slurred speech.

After leaving the property for a second time, Mr Harrowven was seen in Acer Drive by strangers in a passing car, who described him as coherent but unaware of why he was there, and said that he accepted their offer of a lift home before opting to exit the vehicle close to where his body was later discovered with prescription medicine in his pockets.

Dr Dean said a toxicology report found alcohol exceeding the drink-driving limit in his blood and more than the minimum lethal dose of dipipanone. He told Mr Harrowven’s relatives he could find no evidence to suggest death had been intended, concluding it had been a “tragic accident”.