A 'fiercely' independent elderly Hampshire woman died following a fall at her home.

Winchester Coroner's Court heard how 84-year-old Betty Ellis was found by her daughter Maureen Pike and her husband Nigel.

Betty lived in Sedgwick Road in Bishopstoke and was a widow to lorry driver William Ralph Ellis.

She suffered from a heart problems and was on Warfarin medication and was admitted to hospital to be treated for bladder disease in June 2014 according to a report from Dr Geoffrey Kell at the Parkside practice at Eastleigh Health Centre.

Giving evidence, Nigel Pike told Winchester Coroner's Court how he and Maureen visited her after getting a call from Betty's emergency alarm on July 3.

They found her slumped on the floor in a confused state, she told them she had tried to get to the upstairs bathroom but did not explain how she fell.

Nigel and Maureen insisted on staying with Betty overnight but she argued against receiving their help, saying it implied she could not look after herself anymore.

The pair left Betty to returned following morning where they found Betty face down on the floor an unconscious. She was taken to Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester where a scan revealed she suffered internal bleeding and she died on July 4.

A post mortem by Dr Raid Al-Haib showed she suffered a small internal subdural haemorrhage on her head.

Coronor Grahame Short recorded a verdict of accidental death.