A homeless man living in a tent in a Southampton park was found dead after an accidental overdose.

Kelvin Elliott was found by the homeless team at Southampton City Council on the morning of February 28 last year, Winchester Coroner Court heard.

The two council workers had been told of the 47-year-old’s whereabouts after he had moved to Bitterne Manor in Southampton off Vespasian Road after being “threatened by another rough sleeper in the city centre”.

During an inquest held on Thursday, it was heard Kelvin had been evicted from several hostels around the city and was prescribed tranquilizers, and medication for schizophrenia and antisocial personality disorder.

In the days before his death, the court heard how he was admitted to hospital on February 19 after he was found collapsed in a street in the city centre. 

Although he reported being in a “low mood", he didn’t meet the criteria for mental health detention, the court heard.

He had also reported being “suicidal” due to his current social situation, Assistant Corner for Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton, Sally Olsen said.

The court heard on the morning of Kelvin’s death, two workers walked up to the tent and “were very loud” in an attempt to get his attention.

One of the workers then opened the tent and inspected it and “could see someone was there”. She then proceeded to “shout good morning” but got no response.

Representatives from the city council’s welfare team were called, and the court heard one of them shook the tent and following this opened the tent where Kelvin was found face down and wearing a grey jumper.

Next to him were empty medicine packets, needles and other drug paraphernalia.

He didn’t display any signs of life and from there the emergency services were called.

A postmortem found he had 0.51 milligrams per litre of methadone in his blood, used to treat addiction to heroin and other opioids.

Ms Olsen said that based on the evidence she was unable to rule out the exact time when he died and therefore ruled the accepted time of death was when he was found.

The cause of death was listed as misadventure, a drug accident from taking prescribed drugs.