A “WONDERFUL and loving” father died of an accidental overdose in a Hatfield playground, a coroner has ruled.

Shane Foster, 30, was found dead close to Countess Anne CofE Primary School, in School Lane, on the morning of February 22.

Edward Thomas, chief coroner, said the father-of-one from Hatfield died from “multi-drug toxicity” and accidental death rather than a deliberate overdose.

“It is the effect of a combination [of drugs],” he said at the inquest at The Old Court House in Hatfield on Wednesday.

“It is the danger of taking too many bits and bobs.”

A toxicology report found that Mr Foster had traces of diazepan, morphine, codeine and cocaine in his blood, but not enough of any one drug to have caused an overdose.

Mr Thomas added that the report showed Mr Foster’s “lungs were a little overweight, which in the absence of disease signals respiratory and heart failure”.

Sergeant Rachel Brown and Pc Chris Stokes, of Hertfordshire Constabulary, gave witness accounts of how Mr Foster, of Link Drive, was found.

He was discovered in the tubular slide by a member of staff from the school’s nursery after a parent reported seeing a sleeping man on the play equipment.

His family, who were present at the inquest, said they had seen him the night before and that he had recently broken up with his girlfriend.

In a statement following the inquest, his immediate family including mum Linda, dad Dave and sister Christine, said: “To us, Shane was a wonderful and loving son and an excellent younger brother to Christine.

“He was also a fantastic father to his six-year-old son Curtis, who he treasured.

“He was very caring and always put people first.

“He worried about all of us and was very protective.

“He was a great dad to Curtis and loved spending time with him.

“He used to take him on days out to the woods and fishing. He also loved taking him to ‘Go Wild’ in Hatfield.

“He was a joker and would wind people up for a laugh.

“Shane was incredibly popular and over 200 people attended his funeral, which shows just the type of guy he was – a loveable rogue.

“He is always in our hearts, we miss him terribly and we will never forget him.”