A VERDICT of suicide was recorded following the death of a Lindal-in-Furness mum-of-three.

At Barrow Town Hall, family members paid tribute to Elizabeth Jane Hutt, known as Liz, with her being described as a 'lively and chatty' woman and a 'devoted' mother.

The 43-year-old, who worked as a web designer and in a restaurant, was found hanged at her home on Sunny Bank, Lindal, on the morning of October 26, 2018.

The night before, her children had been picked up from the house by her husband, Alexander.

The couple were going through divorce proceedings, but they were still on good terms and shared custody of the children.

The toxicology report revealed a degree of alcohol in Mrs Hutt’s system - about 1.5 times the drink driving limit.

The inquest was told the impact of this would have depended on Mrs Hutt’s level of alcohol tolerance.

Next to her body, a letter was found which said her tax credits had been stopped and she and her husband owed more than £3,000 by November 2018.

Mr Hutt recalled her calling him up 'quite upset' when the letter was received.

He said he telephoned the HMRC hotline and arranged to pay off all of the debt himself, and set up a payment plan to do so, letting his wife know he had done this.

While at a smear test for cervical cancer in Ulverston the month before she died, the practice nurse reported Mrs Hutt saying 'horrendous year, going through divorce.'

Assistant coroner Paul O’Donnell reiterated the fact that Mrs Hutt was well-liked by people she knew, saying: “She has the profile of someone who seemed to be quite a kind, friendly person which is probably demonstrated by the group of friends that have come in today.”

Concluding, he said he could not arrive at a specific reason for Mrs Hutt’s suicide, but added: “It’s quite clear that Liz must have been in quite a dark place for her to have taken the action.”

Mrs Hutt’s mother, Sheila Thompson, said: “I do think that she tried to protect me from her worries because she knew it would worry me.”

She added: “There were some sweets in the back of her car ready to give out to any calls that would come [on Halloween].

“So I don’t think she planned to kill herself.”

lThe Samaritans can be called free at any time on 116 123.

Support is also available from Mind in Furness on 01229 827094.