A WOMAN died from a combination of alcohol and her mother's sleeping tablets after a family night out, an inquest heard.

Neither the drink nor the drugs would have killed Donna Bushill on their own but together they were fatal, the hearing was told.

Mrs Bushill was found dead at her home in Whitegate Close, Padiham, on Saturday March 27, after enjoying a night out with her mum and sisters. She was 33.

Phyllis Turnbull, also of Whitegate Close, said she spent a lot of time at her daughter's home and left her tablets there even though her daughter had taken overdoses going back to when she was a teenager. Donna could never give an explanation for those incidents, said Mrs Turnbull.

On the Friday night they went to the Shakespeare pub, in Padiham, where Donna was in good spirits and singing.

They left the pub about 11.30pm and the girls then went on to a nightclub.

Donna's sister, Jackie Holden, of Blackgate Close, Padiham, said her sister had quite a lot to drink, cider at home, lager in the pub and bottles in the club.

Dr Zuhair Twaij, who carried out the post mortem examination, said analysis showed she had drunk the equivalent of more than three times the driving limit. She had also taken tablets slightly above the therapeutic level.

The drug on its own would not have been fatal. The cause of death was an overdose of alcohol and drugs.

PC Peter Gregson said Mrs Bushill had apparently gone to sleep on the settee and then rolled off on to the floor. He found one tablet and two empty tablet bottles in the house.

Recording a verdict of misadventure East Lancashire Coroner David Smith said she had not taken a huge quantity of tablets and probably had not realised the effect they would have when combined with the alcohol.

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