A beleaguered police force is under fire from a coroner over a death in a police station cell.

Heroin addicted thief George Rudd, 30, hanged himself on a cell door at Middlesbrough Police Station, using a draw string from his jacket.

Following Rudd's threats that he might kill himself, a police surgeon had recommended the Stockton father-of-two be visited every half an hour in his cell.

Because the station's one camera monitored cell for vulnerable prisoners was already occupied Rudd was put in a cell with another prisoner.

But custody Sergeant Christopher Dawber "relaxed" visits to the eye hole in the shared cell to one an hour.

In between visits and while his cell mate was asleep Rudd hanged himself from the draw string of his jacket, which he had smuggled into his cell.

Teesside Coroner Michael Sheffield reminded an inquest jury that while three custody sergeants who gave evidence considered they could alter the frequency of cell visits, two experienced police surgeons did not consider they should without a medical advice and assessment.

Mr Sheffield said: "It is a difference in understanding that sometime in the future could possibly play a part in the death of another detained person.

"I am announcing that I am going to write to the Chief Constable of Cleveland Police drawing his attention to this difference in understanding between police surgeons and custody sergeants as to whether a custody sergeant can alter the frequency of visits to a detained person set down in case of a threat of or suspected self harm and inviting him to take such action as he things appropriate to rectify such a situation."

Rudd's family yesterday asked the Police Complaints Authority to take up their concerns.

The inquest heard because there was no where to store prisoner's coats, their jackets were left in the corridor outside the cell door.

Rudd secured his draw string noose in a gap between the warped food hatch in the cell door and the main door frame.

Following the tragedy on October 22, 2000, prisoners' coats are now stored properly and the buckled food hatches have been replaced with spring loaded plates.

A Cleveland Police spokesman said: "A number of issues raised during the inquest have already been addressed following this tragic situation. The comments made by the coroner will be taken note of. Our thoughts are with the family in their time of grief."