A MAN found dead in a Chester hotel had taken an ‘excessive’ amount of drugs, an inquest has heard.

Colin Hume was found in a room at the Travelodge on Pepper Street on January 25, this year, after police conducted a welfare check, Cheshire Coroners’ Court was told on Wednesday.

Paramedics discovered the 35-year-old had passed away and pronounced him dead.

He was identified by a hotel manager.

The police did not find any suspicious circumstances or evidence of third party involvement.

A post-mortem toxicological examination found a very high concentration of tramadol in the post-mortem femoral blood of 880 ng/mL.

Cocaine and benzodiazepine drugs were also detected.

The pathologist concluded that death was due to the effects of aspiration of gastric contents due to the respiratory depressant effects of excessive Tramadol use combined with benzodiazepine and cocaine use.

Civic engineer Mr Hume had been hit by a bus six months earlier, on July 24, 2023, the court heard.

Victoria Davies, area coroner for Cheshire, said the collision had left him suffering ‘polytrauma’ which included multiple thoracic veterbral fractures.

Mr Hume also had a history of substance misuse, the court was told.

On January 24, this year, he was found collapsed in the street following a morphine overdose.

Mr Hume refused to go to hospital but informed paramedics he took medication daily only for chronic pain but also bought medication illicitly.

He advised that he had not taken the medication as a suicide attempt and did not feel suicidal.

The coroner concluded the death was drug related.

Mr Hume was born in Shrewsbury and had been living at the hotel.