THE source of a killer disease is still unknown, following the death of an elderly woman in Bury six months ago.

Mrs Elsie May Martin (82) died in October while on a visit to the area, staying with her brother and his wife in Ramsbottom.

A post mortem showed that she had died from pneumonia after contracting Legionnaires Disease.

During her stay in Ramsbottom, many members of her family, along with Mrs Martin, travelled to a hotel in York for a birthday party.

But once back in Bury, she began to complain of breathlessness

Her nephew, Mr Graham Chuter, of Dalton Close, Ramsbottom, told an inquest held in Bury, that his aunt had seemed fit and healthy throughout her stay, but after arriving back from York, had complained of feeling unwell and breathless.

He said: "She had seemed so well when she arrived and throughout the party. At first she thought it was something she had eaten. She deteriorated so quickly."

As her condition worsened, Mrs Martin, who lived in Worcestershire, was admitted to Fairfield Hospital on October 25, and she was diagnosed as suffering from the killer disease. She died the following day.

A representative from the Greater Manchester health protection unit told the inquest that Mrs Martin's house, the home of her brother in Ramsbottom and the hotel had all been checked as a possible source of Legionnaires Disease. He said: "Results of tests have not demonstrated any evidence of Legionnaires Disease. There were also no other cases of the disease in the places where Mrs Martin had been.

"We have not been able to determine a likely source for her infection and at the moment this remains a sporadic case that is not linked to any other case."

Coroner Simon Nelson recorded a verdict of death by natural causes.