A man who died in a fire after he forgot to replace batteries in his smoke alarm.

An inquest was told that Mark Robinson had been drinking heavily when a gas heater was knocked over in his property.

The 52-year-old, who had been drinking heavily, failed to stir as the slow-burning living room fire spread to the carpet and the television.

Neighbours were only alerted when the ground floor windows of the property in Merryweather Road, Bosham, near Chichester, blew out.

Chichester Coroners’ Court was told that former retained firefighter Colin Netley had shouted at Mr Robinson to get out.

He then attempted to extinguish the fire by putting a garden hose through the window.

The inquest was told that on the day of the blaze on January 12 this year Mr Robinson had consumed alcohol up to four times the legal drink-drive limit.

The smoke alarm in the property had been taken down with the intention of replacing the batteries.

Neither Mr Robinson nor his brother, Jonathan, who also lived there but was out at the time, had replaced them yet.

Deputy coroner Martin Milward said: "We believe that if any good should come of this tragedy we can highlight two particular issues.

"The first is that all dwellings should have a recognised and approved smoke alarm in working order situated in the premises, which in this case may have alerted somebody.

"The other issue raised is the dangers of excess alcohol consumption which people think about outside of one's home. There are also considerable dangers in one's own home.”

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Jackie Boyle, a spokeswoman for West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, said: "It is a sad tale and what makes even it sadder, is that we feel this was probably avoidable with just a £5 smoke alarm.

"Everyone chooses their own lifestyle and most people will feel like the occasional drink, but we want everybody to get an early warning by having a working smoke alarm as it should buy you vital time to take action in the event of a fire breaking out.”

For a free Home Fire Safety Check call 0800 3286487.