TESTS for drugs are being carried out on a woman's body after she died in suspicious circumstances.

An ambulance was called to a house in the West View area of Hartlepool after the 25-year-old collapsed.

She was rushed to the University Hospital of Hartlepool, but was pronounced dead on arrival. Last night, a police spokesman confirmed that drug abuse is suspected.

He said: "We are investigating the possibility that an unlawful substance has been taken. We haven't been able to confirm what it is as we are awaiting the results of a second post-mortem."

The spokesman said police were alerted to the incident at 11am, on Saturday, and that the woman's boyfriend accompanied her to hospital.

Hartlepool coroner Malcolm Donnelly said he had been informed of the death. He said it was usual to carry out tests for drugs when young people died without another obvious explanation. "Samples have been taken from the first post-mortem and more will be taken at the second," he said.

"It could take months to establish the cause of death, depending on the nature of the substances found," he said.

An inquest is expected to be opened on Thursday or Friday to allow the body to be released for a funeral.