A MAN suffering from a toothache died of a drugs overdose after taking his mum's prescription pills.

Mark Webster was discovered dead on an inflatable bed at the back of a van parked outside a doctor's surgery in Victoria Road, Dartmouth.

The 18-year-old had travelled down from his home in Lincolnshire to the South Devon town with his mother, Janet.

An inquest into the teenager's death heard the pair were on holiday at the time and had taken their time driving to Dartmouth.

Mother and son had parked their Vauxhall Corsa combo van opposite the surgery after registering with a doctor so Mrs Webster could get her repeat prescription of Dihydrocodeine and Oxycodone, two opiates used as a pain relief.

The inquest heard Mark Webster, who was single and had a history of drug use, died of an overdose of the two drugs.

In a statement, PC Martin Ray, who was first on the scene on July 30 after Mrs Webster went into the doctor's surgery to raise the alarm, said: "Mrs Webster explained to me in a distressed state why they had been travelling from Lincolnshire together.

"Her son had been a drug user for many years and she thought he had been clean for several months.

"She suffered from several back problems and depression and was using prescription drugs for it.

"The night before his death he complained of a toothache and pain in his leg.

"They went to bed and at 10.30am the following day she woke up with him motionless next to her."

PC Ray added: "He took some of her prescription pills after she went to sleep."

The inquest heard when police officers attended the scene they found several pills spread around Mr Webster in the van.

Acting Detective Inspector Kay Chapman said: "There is nothing suspicious about the death. It looks like it was a prescription drugs overdose."

Recording an accidental death verdict, Torbay and South Devon coroner Ian Arrow said: "There is no evidence he intended to take his own life.

"He took a number of prescription drugs, but it depressed his respiratory system."