A young drinker was electrocuted and hit by a train after a 12-hour binge drinking session.

Timothy Brown, 22, staggered down the railway line in darkness after downing pints and shots of spirits with his father and friends.

A coroner and alcohol experts said the case highlighted the dangers of drinking too much alcohol.

Mr Brown was electrocuted after wandering onto the tracks at East Worthing station on his way home to Sompting, two miles away. His body was later hit by the 5.41am Chichester to London Victoria train.

Just minutes into the fateful journey Mr Brown stumbled on the electric rail, sending thousands of volts through his body, an inquest heard.

After the hearing Michele Paley, director of the Priory Hospital, Brighton, said: "The amount of alcohol we drink has gone up and has become normalised by society. The dangers of binge drinking are ever increasing.

"Alcohol is generally the first drug that people take. It is socially acceptable, relatively inexpensive, all of which contribute to today's widespread misuse."

West Sussex coroner Roger Stone urged young people to avoid putting themselves in potentially dangerous situations while drunk.

He said: "Those who go out for an evening out have to take care of themselves."

Mr Brown, who lived alone in a ground floor flat in Whitestyles Road, Sompting, joined his dad, Ian, from Hove, for beers around 3pm on September 1.

The inquest heard the pair had enjoyed watching a football match on the TV before going their separate ways, with Timothy making his way into Worthing to meet pals.

After more drinks in the town's Que Pasa bar, Mr Brown was thrown out of the bar and was later refused entry at the nearby Liquid Lounge nightclub.

He then made his way to East Worthing station where CCTV cameras recorded him walking onto the platform and straight down a ramp onto the tracks, just after 3am.

British Transport Police officers said visibility would have been nil and concluded in an investigation that Mr Brown walked around 400 metres east before treading on the rail.

Post mortem tests on the deceased confirmed he was electrocuted.

Mr Brown's mother, Pam, had speculated her son may have suffered an epileptic fit and fallen onto the rail.

The roofer had been forced to give up driving because of regular bouts of the condition.

However the post mortem tests appeared to rule this out.

The inquest also ruled out suicide after friends and family said Mr Brown had never attempted to take his own life before and had no reason to be depressed or down.

Mr Stone said: "I'm drawn to the probability that he was electrocuted and then hit by the train.

"It's clear he'd been drinking heavily that day and was worse for wear.

"Perhaps if any good can come of this it is to highlight the dangers of carrying out even mundane tasks when drunk.

"It's quite clear that alcohol contributed to his death."

A verdict of accidental death was recorded.

Mr and Mrs Brown paid tribute to their son: "He was always so nice and helped everyone out. "He was the sort who would help an old lady across the road with her shopping or hold the door open for them."