AN alcoholic died following a fall in his bathroom at Callands Care Home, an inquest heard.

During the hearing a friend of Paul Ferguson said the 43-year-old had joked the night before his death he would be 'dead in the morning' but there was no evidence to believe he had taken his own life.

His family including his mum Ann Beckett and sister Diane Ferguson said they had no idea how serious his condition was when they were told by care home staff he had been taken to hospital as he had a number of falls in the weeks leading up to his death on April 24 this year.

Mrs Beckett, who lives in Kirkby, added: "I got a phone call when I was in bed saying he was unconscious and had been taken to hospital.

"I thought they meant was he unconscious because he was drunk and then later I learnt they were doing CPR on him.

"He was fighting for his life and nobody had told me on the phone.

"Because he had fallen before I had planned to go visit him in hospital the next day but then I got another call telling me had died.

"If I had known I would have jumped in a taxi straight away."

The inquest heard the Pink Floyd fan had been drinking for more than 20 years and would often consume more than nine litres of strong cider and vodka a day.

He had been living at Callands Care Home, Callands Road, since June 2013 as 'temporary respite' after being evicted from his house in Haydock.

The wheelchair user had been violently assaulted in the past but his family said they thought he was safe at the nursing home until he could get on to a detoxification programme.

On the night of his death, care home employee Penelope Marston described finding Mr Ferguson on the floor after his fall.

He was talking to her but in the estimated 40 seconds it took her to call other staff members to help her, Mr Ferguson had slipped into unconsciousness and then later died in Warrington Hospital.

A police investigation was launched after a number of injuries to Mr Ferguson's body but they were found to consistent with falls which had been reported by the care home.

Coroner Janet Napier concluded the cause of death to be liver cirrhosis, alcoholism and hepatitis C.

She added: "Alcohol is a very sad and terrible thing once it gets hold of a person.

"He said he wanted to deal with it a number of times but he was obviously extremely ill."