An inquest into a care assistant's death found she had been inhaling what's commonly known as laughing gas at the time of her death.

Widow Mary Bunyan, 56, was found unconscious and not breathing on her bedroom floor in Trinity Place, Deal on September 20 last year.

A neighbour had raised the alarm following concerns she had not been seen for weeks.

A post-mortem was unable to establish her cause of death.

But an inquest at the Archbishop's Palace in Maidstone on Monday, April 6 heard how Mrs Bunyan was found with a mask, tubing and nitrous oxide - commonly known as laughing gas.

Area Coroner for North East Kent Joanne Andrews was satisfied she was inhaling nitrous oxide at the time of her death.

This led her to give a conclusion of misadventure.

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