An inquest into the death of a Douglas woman heard how she died after choking on her own vomit.

The court heard Maureen Herbert, of Laureston Terrace, had had problems on and off with alcohol for about 25 years.

Mrs Herbert's husband, Ronald found her body on the morning of the 15th of December last year.

A statement from Mr Herbert said he and his wife were binge drinkers who, after a recent long period of sobriety, had begun drinking again.

Edward Oldham reports:

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The couple had been drinking in bed and Mr Herbert had fallen asleep, when he woke he found Mrs Herbert lying on the floor and raised the alarm.

Mr Herbert thought it'd only been about four hours since he'd spoken to his wife, but a doctor who examined her body estimated she'd been dead for around twelve hours.

Police who questioned Mr Herbert at the time said he seemed very confused, thinking it was Thursday afternoon or evening, not Friday morning.

Coroner Michael Moyle recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Mrs Herbert's two daughters from a previous marriage attended the inquest and Mr Moyle told them they'd done everything they could to help their mother over the years and hadn't let her down.