THE mother of a 41-year-old who died after becoming addicted to inhaling butane gas has issued a warning about the dangers of the substance.

Colin Evans took the bottled gas – used as a fuel for cooking – to "freeze" his gums after having his front teeth knocked out during a football match and to reduce the pain caused by an enlarged retina.

An inquest heard that Mr Evans carried on consuming between "four and six" 250ml cans on a daily basis, despite being warned that he was risking his life.

He was admitted to hospital on six occasions between March and May last year, and a care plan was put together by the Bradshaw Clinic, in Charnwood Street, to help him come off the substance.

However Mr Evans continued to skip appointments.

He was subsequently found dead at his flat in Cobden Street, Derby, on September 11 – about six months after he began inhaling the solvent.

A post-mortem examination revealed he died from an overdose of butane gas, having combined the substance with codeine tablets and amphetamines.

Speaking at the Derby Coroner's Court hearing, his mother, Marvin Evans, called for the dangers of Volatile Substance Abuse (VSA) – the deliberate inhalation of volatile substances such as lighter fuel, glue or aerosols – to be widely publicised.

She said: "After my son's death, I began to research the subject and I was astonished by how universal it is.

"Communities are often unaware of the consequences of VSA. The community needs to be aware of the services available to address this problem.

"More funding is needed to encourage practitioners to write about the subject."

Mrs Evans said she believed her son used the substances as he continued to grieve following the death of his grandmother, to whom he was "very close".

She said: "When she died five years ago he just couldn't cope. It really hit him hard. He probably couldn't cope even up to two months before he died – that's five years on.

"He would still talk about her death in a very distressed and traumatised state as if it happened only a few weeks ago."

Mr Evans' sister, Davina, then added: "She died in his arms and the butane was like a rewind button to that trauma."

The hearing was told Mr Evans had to be identified using dental records as his body was badly decomposed by the time it was discovered.

Mrs Evans and her son's neighbours said they had last seen him about a month before he was discovered.

Assistant deputy coroner Paul McCandless said that, despite collaborate efforts from Mr Evans' friends, family and professionals to help him overcome his addiction, he found it "impossible" to stop.

Mr McCandless recorded a verdict of misadventure.