A WARNING about taking non-prescribed medication has been issued following the death of a successful businesswoman.

An inquest into the death of Irene Todd heard how she died in Salford Royal Hospital after taking a combination of sleeping tablets and alcohol.

The mother-of-four died on March 27 and, at the hearing on Friday, assistant coroner for Manchester West Rachel Griffin warned of the dangers of taking medication that wasn't prescribed.

She said: "If anything positive could come of this it should be a warning of the dangers of drinking alcohol to excess and also of using medication when it is not controlled or prescribed to you."

The inquest heard that Ms Todd, who lived in Bolton Street, Ramsbottom, had been a "secret drinker" over the years and her family were unaware that she had a problem with alcohol.

Her daughter Isabella Todd said: "The family had concerns and suspicions about three years ago with her drinking but we didn't have any evidence.

"One time I found bottles of wine, sherry and vodka in her room but I don’t think she ever got any help for it."

The 59-year-old was the previous owner of Allen and Todd's Aladdin's Cave in Ramsbottom, before she retired.

The inquest heard how she had felt ill on the day before her death and had spent the day in bed.

Her partner Anthony Tudor woke up at his Salford home on March 27 to find her slumped over the bed.

He tried CPR on his partner of 10 years and she was taken to hospital where she later died.

He said: "She was absolutely fine the day before, she was working like a Trojan trying to help me get my house sorted and there was nothing wrong with her at all, she was laughing and joking."

The inquest heard that Ms Todd had been prescribed Zopiclone, for help with sleeping, on two occasions but had continued to get it despite a lack of prescription.

The couple spent a lot of time in Spain where they had a holiday home and it is thought that Ms Todd had bought the tablets over the counter over there.

A post-mortem examination showed that Ms Todd had internal bleeding due to tears in her gullet caused by long-term alcohol abuse.

A combination of Zopiclone and alcohol in her blood could also have contributed towards her death.

Although the amount of tablets Ms Todd had taken were not excessive, the combination of the drug and the fact she was three times over the legal drink drive limit could have been a contributory factor to her death.

It was also discovered that she had Ketoacidosis, a condition where toxic bodies are produced which can be caused by prolonged alcoholism.

Mrs Griffin gave a narrative conclusion and said: "She died as a consequence of both long-term and acute use of alcohol and use of Zopiclone medication.

"It is clear that she was a very intelligent lady who was much-loved by all who were in her life."