THE partner of a woman who died after she was found unconscious outside a telephone kiosk has paid tribute to her.

Police were initially treating the death of grandmother, Jean Bennett, 50, as suspicious or unexplained.

But on Friday night they said their investigations yesterday did not support this supposition and it was now being treated as a "tragic" incident.

Ms Bennett was discovered by a passer-by in High Street, Spennymoor, shortly after 8pm on Thursday night.

After the emergency services were alerted, the grandmother, of Jackson Street in the town, was taken by ambulance to the University Hospital of North Durham, in Durham city, where she later died.

The coroner has been informed and a post mortem is set to take place on Monday.

Her partner, Martin Longthorne, told The Northern Echo tonight: "Jean was a much-loved girlfriend, mother and grandmother.

"She was an outspoken, friendly person who will be sadly missed by all."

Det Chief Insp Kevin Weir, of Durham Constabulary, appealed for anyone who may have seen Ms Bennett prior to her being found to come forward, stressing they would be treated purely as witnesses.

"At the time this was an unexplained death because there was a lady who had collapsed in the street and subsequently died," he said. "Enquiries with witnesses have now led us to believe there to have been a tragic set of circumstances where a lady has fallen down and subsequently died.

"We are not looking for anybody in connection with the incident and we are not treating it as suspicious. There is nothing to lead me to believe she has been hit or anything which would suggest that somebody has had a part to play in her death."

Durham Constabulary can be contacted on 0345-6060365 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800-555111.