A husband and wife died in their flat from a drugs overdose, an inquest heard.

John and Mandy Girling were found in separate rooms in their fifth-floor home in Mitre House, a block of flats in Western Road, Brighton, in December last year.

Their bodies were discovered by police who forced open the door after a complaint from a neighbour about a bad smell.

It is believed they had died up to a week before they were found and at first detectives treated their deaths as suspicious.

However, a post-mortem examination by a Home Office forensic pathologist revealed they both died after taking a mixture of heroin and cocaine, known as speedballing.

The level of heroin found in both of the couple was potentially fatal.

The inquest at Brighton Magistrates Court heard how Mr Girling, 51, had a long history of drug misuse while his 34-year-old wife had not previously been known to have injected drugs.

A needle mark was found in her right arm and she was right-handed.

Mrs Girling, a mother-of-one, who worked as a prostitute from the flat, was found lying on the floor and appeared to have slipped off the sofa.

Mr Girling was found lying on the floor in another room. He was still wearing his spectacles and holding a cigarette in his hand, which had burnt a small hole in the carpet. Although there had been previous reported incidents of domestic violence between the couple, there was no evidence of any violence at their flat at the time of their death.

Brighton and Hove Coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley recorded open verdicts.

She said there were several matters she was uneasy about. There was no answer as to who injected the drugs and whether it was an accidental overdose.