THE family of a teenager who died after suffering a severe allergic reaction have said they do not blame anyone for their daughter's death.

Francesca Sanna, 19, died at her Oswaldtwistle last October after preparing to go out on a night with friends.

After leaving her house in Broadfield, the long-term allergy sufferer began to experience breathing difficulties and died within minutes of returning home.

Her family, who run Franco's restaurant in Union Road, believe her reaction could have been triggered by the Aquafresh Mild n Minty toothpaste she had used moments before leaving the house.

The former pupil at Rhyddings High School, Oswaldtwistle, has used the brand for a while but two weeks before she died had complained about pains in her gums, sparking fears that a change in the ingredients caused the alergic reaction.

But pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, which manufactures the toothpaste, has insisted that despite changes to the packaging its list of ingredients has remained the same since 2001.

Francesca's mother, Kim Sanna said: "We are not accusing anybody and we are not trying to blame anybody.

"The pathologist at the inquest agreed that because of the severity of the reaction it had to be something that she came into contact with no more than 15 minutes before she died. She had eaten an hour before she left the house, so the only thing that fits is the toothpaste. But we won't know until further tests are carried out.

"Francesca could have developed a sensitivity to an existing ingredient that she had not had before. That's the problem with anaphylaxis - it is so unpredictable.

"If there was any sign that it had been the toothpaste Francesca would have stopped using it. We are not looking to cause trouble but if it was an ingredient in the toothpaste knowing that could save someone else's life."

A spokesperson for the company said: "We were saddened to hear of the tragic death of Francesca Sanna and our sympathies go to her family.

"We receive less than a handful of complaints of allergic reaction to Aquafresh Mild n Minty each year - all of which have been of a mild and localised nature. To put this in context, over 1.9 million tubes are used by consumers in the UK every year."

Mrs Sanna added: "Francesca did have an epi pen with her in case she needed to give herself an injection of adrenaline to combat a allergic reaction - she always did - and it was used but the reaction was too strong. People need to understand it is not the cure they think it is.

"If there is a serious reaction to a substance then it is not just a life style choice of avoiding it - its a matter of life or death."

Further tests are due to be carried out on a sample of Francesca's blood in order to determine what may have caused the fatal reaction.