THE coroner has ruled an open verdict on the death of a woman who fell out of a second-storey window of a Blackpool residential home.

Ann Veronica Taplin, 67, died after falling more than 20 feet from her open bedroom window at the Annacliffe Residential Home, Newton Drive, on Sunday, June 29.

A young care assistant found her body 'in a pool of blood' after going to investigate Mrs Taplin's whereabouts when she failed to turn up for breakfast.

Mrs Taplin's son, Michael, told a Blackpool inquest on Wednesday, October 22 that his mother had a long history of mental illness and had previously tried to commit suicide while living alone at a flat in the resort.

But, since living at the Annacliffe, he claimed her mental health had improved and she showed no signs of wanting to end her life. The hearing was also told that council environmental health officers had conducted a thorough investigation into the death and found no breach of Health and Safety regulations at the home.

Recording a verdict of open death Fylde Coroner, Anne Hind said: "I'm not at all convinced that Mrs Taplin intended to kill herself.

"We know that she had suffered from mental problems for a number of years and had attempted to take an overdose while living alone.

"But, after moving into the Annacliffe, conversations between her and her son reveal that she was in a much happier state of mind and environment.

"Therefore it is impossible to be certain, beyond all reasonable doubt, that her death was a suicide or a tragic accident."