GAZETTE & HERALD: WIDOW Della Morton suffered heart failure due to an overdose of anti depressant tablets and alcohol, an inquest heard but no evidence was found to suggest she had taken her own life.

Mrs Morton, 49, of Lamberts, Chippenham, who worked as a cashier in Safeway, died at home on October 5.

Coroner Richard van Oppen recorded a verdict of misadventure, at the Chippenham inquest yesterday.

Mrs Morton's husband Arthur died in January 2002 and following his death she began a new relationship with Barry Bartlet.

Mr Bartlet said Mrs Morton used to drink heavily some 10 bottles of cider most days, and 16 bottles on occasion.

She suffered from insomnia and depression and consequently was prescribed anti depressants.

On October 4 they went to the pub, came home and had a meal. They continued drinking at home and later Mr Bartlet went to bed on his own. In the morning he went to the pub for opening at noon.

When he returned at about 2.30pm he found her dead in the lounge, lying on the sofa. A post mortem revealed she had 245mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood which Mr van Oppen described as a very large amount.

She had also ingested a high level of anti depressants which he said would also have been enough to cause heart failure, even without the alcohol.

Mrs Morton's daughter Terrei Packham, 25, said she believed the overdose was an accident as her mother was planning a holiday in the Canaries.

Mr van Oppen said Mrs Morton, who also has four sons, had attempted an overdose in August last year but concluded there was no evidence to suggest she had done so this time.

Mrs Packham said she thought her mother had never fully recovered from the death of her husband, Arthur, to whom she was married for 20 years.