A MAN who had been drinking heavily fell asleep in a scalding hot bath and drowned, an inquest has been told.

Mitchel Whittingham, who was 28 when he died in November 2007, had a history of alcohol misuse and depression, the inquest at Portsmouth Guildhall heard.

His mum, Tamara Lording, discovered Mr Whittingham lying in the bath with his head fully submerged at the home he shared with his parents in Lechlade Gardens, Hill Park, Fareham.

Mrs Lording went into the bathroom when she heard the tap was still running. She found her son unconscious and submerged in the scalding water.

A post-mortem found Mr Whittingham had drunk enough alcohol to make him five times over the legal limit to drive. A crate of beer was also found in his bedroom.

The cause of death was drowning. David Horsley, coroner for Portsmouth and South East Hampshire, recorded a verdict of accidental death.