A mother-of-three died from an accidental overdose of heroin, codeine and diazepam, a coroner ruled.

Kent deputy coroner Eileen Sproson confirmed Faithful Smith's cause of death today.

The 49-year-old, who had battled drug addiction most of her adult life, was found dead in Foord Road, Folkestone, on August 22.

Giving evidence, DS Hilary Bell, who carried out an investigation into the death, said Faithful, who preferred to be called Fay, lived a transient lifestyle around Maidstone and Folkestone and had become estranged from her family.

Speaking at Maidstone's Archbishop's Palace, DS Bell said: "Fay, 49, lived a transient lifestyle and was estranged from her immediate family.

"She had a long history of drugs and police involvement.

"We were called to an address in Foord Road by the ambulance service at 17.47pm on August 22.

"The address was messy and there were no items of value.

'Fay was a child brought up in a loving home, when she became a teenager she went off the rails...' - Mary Adams

"I spoke to a male at the address who said Fay had injected.

"He said he found her passed out and called an ambulance."

DS Bell told the court paramedics left the property when she arrived, and officers seized a number of items including a partially loaded syringe, a burnt glass pipe believed to be for smoking crack cocaine and papers identifying Ms Smith.

The officer ruled out third party involvement and said marks on Fay's body were indicative of long-term drug use.

Among items police seized from Fay's handbag were a birth certificate showing Fay was born in Crawley and a medical notes saying she suffered epilepsy and arthritis.

DS Bell added the witness, who had woken up next to Fay, told PC Wilson at the scene he was angry because she "had taken the crack (cocaine)."

She added: "The witness said he had patted her on the back but did not do anything else (to help revive her)."

Ambulance paramedics fought to revive Fay and administered adrenaline to help restart her heart, however she was pronounced dead at about 7pm, the court heard.

A toxicology report carried out at Ashford's William Harvey Hospital revealed Fay had lethal levels of heroin alongside codeine and diazapam in her blood.

Ms Sproson told Fay's sister Susie Parkman in court the level of heroin was "incredibly high".

In a statement read out in court Mary Adams, Fay's other sister, said Fay, who was registered as no fixed abode, had "gone off the rails".

She said: "Fay was a child brought up in a loving home, when she became a teenager she went off the rails.

"Due to the lifestyle Fay had chosen she had not been in contact with the family."

Ms Sproson recorded the death as "multi-drug-toxicity", and gave condolences to Ms Parkman.