A WOMAN'S delight at receiving her final divorce papers ended in tragedy when she fell downstairs after drinking half a bottle of vodka to celebrate.

An inquest heard that mother of three Samantha Taylor, 33, was happy at moving into the new house which she and boyfriend Steven Farrell were busy decorating. But her euphoria was cut short by the tragedy

"It seems so poignant that this should happen when she was in such high spirits," said coroner Michael Singleton. "Her life was getting to a level where she could look forward but, as we see all too often, life can be so cruel at times."

On the day she received her decree absolute Miss Taylor was walking barefoot up the uncarpeted stairs of her new home when Mr Farrell heard a "yelp" followed by a dull thud.

He found his partner lying on the floor at the foot of the stairs and, despite treatment at Blackburn Royal Infirmary, Queen's Park Hospital and the Royal Preston Hospital she never regained consciousness.

"She was thrilled when she received her final divorce papers that day," said Mr Farrell, of Brodick Road, Blackburn. "She decided to have a drink to celebrate and went out and bought a bottle of vodka and some cans of lager."

He said that during the course of the day they had both been busy stripping walls and decorating. The children arrived home and went to play in the garden and he continued working in the living room while Miss Taylor prepared tea. She had a few glasses of vodka and orange but was not drunk.

Mr Farrell said he assumed that Miss Taylor had stood on a nail as she went up the stairs and that had caused her to lose her balance and fall backwards.

Lynne Overfield, of Staffa Crescent, Blackburn, she saw Miss Taylor on the floor and Mr Farrell come from the living room. She raised the alarm by mobile phone.

Detective Sergeant Paul Murphy of Blackburn CID said the incident had initially been treated as a murder inquiry but said that after a full and detailed investigation he was satisfied there was no third party involvement in Miss Taylor's death.

The medical cause was given as a blunt force head injury and Mr Singleton recorded a verdict of accidental death.