A CORONER has warned people about the dangers of cocaine after a dad-of-two died suddenly of heart complications.

Christopher Ratcliffe, who lived at Entwistle Street in Harwood, died at home on Friday. December 15 just days after turning 39.

He was found unresponsive in bed between 2pm and 3pm by his partner Jennifer Taylor, after he had been on a night out, and was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

At an inquest held at Bolton Coroners Court yesterday, Alan Walsh, area coroner for Greater Manchester West, concluded Mr Ratcliffe had died as a result of ischemic heart disease, with cocaine use and bleeding esophageal varices as contributing causes.

It was revealed that the roofer was a regular user of cocaine, drank often and had started smoking at an early age.

Mr Walsh said: "It is important to warn people of the grave dangers of the use of cocaine.

"It is not only an illicit drug that causes risk in itself but its effects, particularly on the cardiovascular system, are very severe.

"Sadly, Christopher Ratcliffe's death highlights the potential problems.

"The advice is to avoid any illicit drugs. I am very sad for the family and particularly his children.

"He will be greatly missed and that is the greatest sadness — that they will never have their father.

"He could not have had any warning of what was happening and this was, sadly, a very sudden, unexpected and immediate death."

A crack pipe was found on Mr Ratcliffe's bed and a toxicology reports showed he had cocaine and alcohol in his system but it could not identified when he had consumed the drug.

It was also revealed that there was a history of heart problems in his family, as his grandfather had a heart bypass and his father suffered a heart attack.

A pathologist found two of Mr Ratcliffe's main arteries had narrowed significantly — one by 90 per cent and one by 50 per cent, a condition called coronary atheroma.

And the examination also revealed his heart to weigh about 500g, which is 200g more than what a regular heart weighs.

Family members at the inquest spoke of Mr Ratcliffe's lifestyle and how he would refuse to go to the doctors.

His mother Helen Ratcliffe, who lived in Lynwood Grove in Harwood, knew he smoked cannabis but did not know about his cocaine habit.

She said: "I used to tell him off all the time. My last text to him him was 'will you stop smoking because you have children'.

"I thought he was healthy and that there was nothing wrong with him.

"He was stubborn and he would never go to the doctor."