A champion banger racer was "eating ecstasy almost like sherbert" a week before he died, an inquest heard.

A housemate of Scott Buchanan said the father-of-three, who was found dead in his bungalow on March 29, used Class A drugs regularly.

At a hearing in Worthing Hospital, Mr Buchanan's mother burst into tears when coroner Roger Stone recorded a verdict of death by abuse of drugs.

The body of Mr Buchanan was discovered by cleaner Kim Goddard as she went to his home in Old Shoreham Road, Lancing.

Mr Buchanan, 27, who was junior European champion for banger racing, had spent weeks preparing a Jaguar car for a demolition derby to race that day.

During the hearing his mother Virginia Gollin, of Poole, Dorset, said she knew her son had a drug problem more than three years ago but she believed moving to Lancing had helped.

She said: "Over the past 18 months, he had no signs of being on drugs.

"He had been a much nicer person. To me, he was not on drugs to the degree he used to be. He was interested in racing old cars and was preparing a car to go racing on the Saturday he was found."

Pathologist Dr Mark Appleton, referring to tests by fellow pathologist Dr Sharon Edwards, said low levels of drugs were found in Mr Buchanan's body but it was difficult to measure the exact amounts because his blood was in a poor condition.

Dr Appleton said there was no injury or disease and the cause of death was cocaine and ecstasy.

Housemate Mike Lucas is in Thailand and did not attend the hearing yesterday but left a statement.

Mr Lucas, 33, who used to work at Just Us doctors' recruitment agency in Worthing, wrote: "Scotty had done drugs since I knew him. He was using a lot more when we moved into the bungalow.

"He hated crack and cannabis and mostly used cocaine and ecstasy and on a daily basis up to the Saturday he died.

"On March 22, he was totally out of his head. He had a bag of MDMA (ecstasy) and was eating it almost like sherbert.

"I said he could not have any more and took the bag away. Scotty seemed resigned when I took it and would not leave the room until I gave him some puff cannabis. I did and he went away."

Coroner's officer Darren Moffatt said Mr Lucas claimed he had been preparing to move out of the bungalow in Old Shoreham Road because of Mr Buchanan's drug use.

Mr Buchanan had three sons, age six, four and one.

Coroner Mr Stone said: "For those who get involved in drugs, it is an affliction. The evil is with those who supply them."