A woman with a history of alcohol addiction was found dead on Boxing Day after drinking with a friend at Christmas.

Susan Hargreaves, from Burnley, was found by her friend on the morning of December 26 after they had been drinking together at the friend’s house in Chorley.

An inquest at Accrington Town Hall heard Susan had gone round there at around 6pm the night before, on Christmas Day.

The friend went to bed that night and left Susan downstairs before finding her unresponsive the next morning.

Emergency services were called and confirmed she had died.

A post-mortem CT scan from Dr Palmer at Royal Preston Hospital said Susan had a history of coronary arterial disease and offered a potential cause of death as her heart issues.

A toxicology report from Dr Steph Martin at Sheffield Teaching Hospital said the blood ethanol concentration was profound and at a potentially fatal level. Other prescription medications were also found.

A police statement said Susan had been living in a refuge in Burnley but left with a friend she had met there to go to her house in Chorley, where she died.

Coroner Richard Taylor said Susan had been seen by a mental health worker in November.

He added the excess of alcohol would have proved too toxic for her.

Mr Taylor gave a medical cause of death of alcohol toxicity and said: “Susan Hargreaves was found dead on December 26, 2023 in Draper Field, Chorley, having ingested an excess of alcohol.”