A WOMAN died a day after drinking heavily on her 55th birthday.

An inquest was heard at the coroner’s court in Chelmsford into the death of Linda Marshall on September 22 last year.

It was revealed a toxicology exam on Mrs Marshall who lived in Hunts Drive, Writtle, found 342mg of alcohol in her blood stream, 4.25 times over the legal drink-drive limit.

Tests also showed she had an undiagnosed heart condition which may have had an affect.

The previous evening Mrs Marshall celebrated her 55th birthday and was found by her husband the following morning unconscious in her kitchen, where paramedics pronounced dead.

Coroner for Essex Caroline Beasley-Murray said her verdict was the death was an accident.

Mrs Beasley-Murray said: “Blood tests showed Mrs Marshall had severe alcohol intoxication due to the extremely high level of alcohol which was found in her system.

“The report also said she had an undetected ischemic heart disease which may have played a part in her death, but the main reason was the alcohol.”

Speaking during the inquest, Mrs Marshall’s husband David who was arrested on suspicion of murder before the charges were dropped said his wife was not an alcoholic.

Mr Marshall said: “I was aware that she drank lots on certain occasions but she was not drinking all the time.

“It was only really after her mum and dad died that the drinking became more regular, but it was still only occasional.

“Looking back I did not realise the amount of alcohol that was in the house. I knew as it was her birthday she would want to drink and I thought I had it monitored, but obviously that didn’t work.”