AN investigation has been launched into the death of a 35-year-old woman in police custody.

She was found unresponsive in her cell at Blackburn’s Greenbank police headquarters early on Sunday morning having been arrested late the previous night in Darwen.

MORE TOP STORIES:

Her mother said her daughter should have been taken to a place of safety not a police station.

She described her as ‘a lovely, gorgeous, warm-hearted young woman’, adding the family was ‘devastated’ by her death.

The woman, named only as Kelly, was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital where she later died.

The death has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, which has launched an investigation, and also to the Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Coroner Michael Singleton.

The family laid flowers outside the police station on Wednesday night in her memory.

Her mother pinned a note to the floral tribute saying: “To my beautiful daughter Kelly.

“Love you, will always love you.

“Will miss you. Mum.”

A Lancashire police spokesman said: “A 35-year-old woman was arrested at an address in Darwen at around 11.30pm on Saturday, December 3 on suspicion of assault.

“She was taken to Greenbank Police Station in Blackburn.

“At around 1.30am on Sunday the woman was found to be unresponsive in her cell and was taken to hospital but sadly subsequently died.

“Our thoughts are with her family and friends to whom we send our deepest condolences.

“We have referred the matter to the Independent Police Complaints Commission and as such it would be inappropriate to comment any further at this stage.”

Her mother said: “She was a lovely, gorgeous, warm-hearted young woman with mental health problems.

“She was found by police in Darwen in a distressed state and taken home rather than to hospital where she could have been assessed.

“She was then arrested and taken to Greenbank.

“Kelly was in mental turmoil and should not have been arrested and taken to a police station.

“She should have been taken to a place of safety in a hospital or mental health unit where she could have been looked after.

“We are all devastated by her death and concerned at how she was supervised at Greenbank “We do not want to go into further details at the moment while a number of investigations are under way.

“She had been under medical care and had a number of problems.

“The police were aware of her history.”

An IPCC spokesman said: “The Independent Police Complaints Commission has begun an independent investigation following the death of a woman detained by Lancashire Constabulary.

“The woman was arrested in the Darwen area on Saturday.

“IPCC investigators attended police post-incident procedures and have begun to gather evidence as part of the early stages of the investigation.”

The spokesman confirmed the case had been referred to the Coroner’s Office.