A MOTHER died after falling and hitting her head near a hot tub during a hen party.

Julie Hall was staying at one of the cottages at Wynyard Hall, near Billingham, in April earlier this year, when she fell to the ground, resulting in a fractured skull, an inquest heard on Monday.

She was discovered by a friend lying on the ground next to the hot tub – with her head covered in blood and unresponsive.

Although Mrs Hall, from Seaton Carew, was found in her swimming costume, it was dry and there was no water on the ground – leading to the belief she had fallen before getting into the hot tub, the inquest heard.

She was rushed to James Cook University Hospital , in Middlesbrough, but died two days later.

The inquest, held at Middlesbrough Town Hall, heard Mrs Hall had been drinking alcohol as part of an afternoon tea– and a post mortem examination revealed she was three times over the drink drive limit.

The level of Fluoxetine , an anti depressant, in her system was ten times higher than expected compared to the amount she had been prescribed, though there was no indication she had taken a large dosage shortly before her fall.

Stacy Clark, a friend of Mrs Hall, said: “She was the most caring and wonderful friend anyone could wish for.

“Julie was excited and looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend, which was good to hear as she had been really low.”

“We giggled and enjoyed this lovely moment (during the afternoon tea) - I wish I had got one more photograph,” she added.

A statement from Rob Llewellyn, Stockton Council’s principal environmental health officer, said the hot tub site had been inspected after Mrs Hall’s fall and the area was “well-maintained, well lit and presented no obvious hazards that would have caused a person to fall”.

Senior coroner Clare Bailey said a chemist had confirmed a combination of the Fluoxetine and painkillers would have “exacerbated the effects of the alcohol”.

“It is possible she fell as the combination of drugs and alcohol affected her co-ordination,” she said.

“I accept she wasn’t happy, but I do not believe for one minute that it was with the intention of harming herself or ending her life,” she added.

The coroner recorded a verdict of misadventure.