A young Canterbury woman froze to death in the snow after a night out drinking, an inquest has been told.

Bernadette Lee, 25, wasn't wearing a coat when her body was discovered partially covered in snow just feet away from homes in Deal.

Now a coroner has ruled her death was from misadventure after a pathologist said her heavy alcohol consumption made her more vulnerable to hypothermia.

Miss Lee, who grew up in Canterbury as a child, had returned to the city to live with her mother in Pine Tree Avenue.

But an inquest at Sandwich yesterday heard how a night out in Deal ended in tragedy.

Now her family has urged people to remember the dangers of the weather when going out at night.

Father Roger and sister Jodie said in a statement: "We hate the thought of other families ever having to go through such a harrowing ordeal and would like to say to everyone please don't put yourself in a situation where you are totally dependent on someone else as things can go wrong.

"Always take a coat in the winter as plans can so easily change. If you arrange for someone to stay with you then please be responsible and remember that their lives could depend on you."

Miss Lee's body was discovered by a dog walker at 7.50am on January 20, on a lawn in Church Meadows, Deal – where she had made her way to after a night out in the town.

The inquest was told blood tests confirmed she had 183mg of alcohol in her blood - a high amount that would have lowered her temperature and contributed to the onset of hypothermia.

She was supposed to be staying with a friend, but when they were separated and she could not contact her, she made her way to her sister’s empty home in a last ditch effort to find shelter from the snow.

But her sister Jodie, 33, had lost her keys and was staying at a friend's house.

Miss Lee had attempted 27 calls. Some were to her friend, Cheryl Coley, who she had arranged to stay with.

But she was at her flat having a discussion over the phone with her boyfriend and did not answer or return the calls.

Pathologist Dr Aminu Abdulkadir confirmed Bernadette had no injuries or trauma except scuffs on her knee and the only changes to her body were "in keeping with hypothermia".

He said large amounts of alcohol found in her body meant she was pre-disposed to hypothermia.

Coroner Rebecca Cobb said: "Misadventure is similar to an accident but it means there were aspects of her behaviour that were involved in her death like the alcohol she had drunk."