THE tragic deaths of two young heroin addicts has highlighted the growing problem of drug abuse in Bolton.

Acting coroner Simon Nelson, who presided over the inquests into the deaths of Debbie Gore and Andrew Martin, said he had heard similar stories all last week.

Although he stopped short of calling for increased education into the damaging effects of drug use, Mr Nelson said, in both cases, the deaths were a result of "unintentional overdoses".

Debbie Gore, of Worsley Avenue, Little Hulton, regularly injected herself with heroin following the breakdown of a relationship four years ago, the inquest heard.

Her father, Derek, said she had fallen into the "wrong crowd" and began to take drugs.

The 25-year-old was subsequently placed on a methadone programme which she eventually gave up -- unknown to her family.

Debbie, the mother of a seven-year-old boy, was also heavily in debt to loan sharks, it was claimed.

On November 8, 1999, the trained hairdresser was referred to the Royal Bolton Hospital suffering from headaches.

Her groin was weak due to her repeatedly injecting herself in this area, and it had become infected. She had also lost power in her left arm and leg.

Dr Jonathon Pearson, consultant pathologist at the Royal Bolton Hospital, said she had suffered a heart attack and died on November 14, bearing the scars of drug abuse.

Mr Nelson, recording a verdict of misadventure, told the court in Bolton she had been self-administering illegal substances until the week of her death.

And he said the case of Andrew Martin, a 25-year-old who lived in a Salvation Army hostel on Duke Street, Bolton, was near identical.

Mr Martin began to take drugs to relieve his depression when he was 20 years old.

He had left school at the age of 16 to take up a job as a car body repair apprentice in Bury, a position he gave up because he found it difficult to travel from his then home in Lostock.

Soon after he became depressed even though he became a student at the Adelphi Music College in Manchester to indulge his passion of songwriting. He was later diagnosed schizophrenic.

His mother, Linda, of Park Road, Westhoughton, told the hearing: "He started to take drugs and he wouldn't take any advice. He would emphatically deny there was a problem."

Mr Nelson, who recorded a verdict of misadventure, heard how Mr Martin had been arrested for possession of an illegal substance.

He had left the Royal Bolton Hospital where he was undergoing treatment to buy drugs and had returned "under the influence."

On the day before his death on December 30, Mr Martin had become abusive towards his mother when she visited him in the hostel.

His body was found face down by cleaner June Pardon-Bell. Dr Pearson said his blood had levels of morphine "twice that of the fatality rate for naive heroin users".

The cause of death, he said, was overdose. Mr Nelson called both deaths a tragedy and said: "Unfortunately I have had to deal with numerous cases of this type over the past week."