AN overdose of drugs and alcohol led to the death of a Burnley landlady, an inquest was told.

Annie Walsh, of the Town Mouse Pub, Brown Street, died on April 15 after taking a cocktail of propoxyphene -- a painkiller -- and alcohol equivalent to three pints of beer.

Linda Coxhill, licensee of the Town Mouse, had lived with Annie for around four years and said she was a bright and bubbly girl.

She said that the previous night Annie had gone out at 6pm and said she would not be back too late because they had appointments early the next morning.

Annie came back at midnight and the couple had an argument, which led to Linda leaving and staying with a friend. She said: "She rang me at 3am to ask what time I would be home. I said I'd be home early for the appointment at 9am. She said she'd calmed down but said 'when you get home I'll be dead,' which wasn't her sort of talk.

"I told her not to be silly but when I got home she was dead. I'd never heard her talk like that before. She was very calm. I don't know if I was supposed to come back."

Annie had taken pills on another occasion, on March 4, her birthday.

While Linda was reckoning up the takings in the pub, Annie had gone upstairs to the flat and was taking the pills in the bathroom.

Linda said: "She didn't know why she'd done it. She was very upset with herself the next day and feeling ill and said she wouldn't do it again."

Acting East Lancashire coroner Richard Taylor told her: "It seems she had too much to drink. There had been an argument, she was clearly distressed and decided to take the pills. She clearly thought you would be back but her expectations were wrong because there was no reason you should return at that time. I think she took an overdose for whatever reason but that she never intended that it would be fatal."

He returned a verdict of accidental death.