THE family of a man who battled an alcohol problem has been told they will never know what happened to him in the hours before he died.

George Hollinshead, known to most people as Graham, was found dead at his home in Cheadle on March 4 last year.

According to his family, the 58-year-old seemed to be well, but had a history of health problems which affected his breathing and mobility.

An inquest into his death heard yesterday that he had been a heavy smoker and began to drink every day after his wife Maureen died in 1991.

His daughter Rosemary Wheeldon, of The Birches, Cheadle, told the inquest: "He wouldn't listen. The alcohol took over and he never ate."

She last saw him two days before he died, but said he looked well.

Mr Hollinshead's brother Kenneth Hollinshead, of Charles Street, Cheadle, said he 'seemed quite good' when he saw him the next day.

He was alerted to the death by Fay Wood, a friend of his brother who spent most of her time at his Well Street house, and called the emergency services.

Mr Hollinshead found his brother in his bedroom between the bed and a radiator on the wall.

The inquest heard Mrs Wood was drunk, in an hysterical state and kept changing her story on what happened before Mr Hollinshead was found.

She was arrested in connection with the death, but forensic officers failed to find evidence of exactly what had happened.

In a witness statement Mrs Wood said Mr Hollinshead had fallen on a tiled floor between the hall and kitchen on the evening of March 3.

She said he managed to get himself up and returned to the sofa to listen to the radio before going to bed.

Mrs Wood said she slept on the sofa and found him in the bedroom the next morning.

The inquest was told the pair were often seen arguing and drank heavily while they were together.

Postmortem tests showed a blood alcohol level of 120 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit for driving is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

Mr Hollinshead was also found to have heart and lung problems and a skull fracture.

His cause of death was given as lung disease, an enlarged heart and head injury.

Home Office pathologist Dr Sacha Kolar said this would be more consistent with a fall on to a flat surface than to being struck on the head.

Detective Inspector Stephen Maxfield said officers were "mystified" as to how his injuries occurred.

North Staffordshire coroner Ian Smith recorded an open verdict. He said Mr Hollinshead could have fallen in the kitchen or the bedroom and hit his head or something else may have happened to him.

"We simply do not have the means of knowing what hap- pened to George Hollinshead."