A community worker died after drinking too much at a wedding reception and taking a “wildly excessive” amount of pain killers, an inquest heard.

Ursula Gilbert was a well-known member of the New Addington community who worked for Foodlink, helping to promote healthy eating.

She was found dead in her house on October 2, 2011, after her body was discovered by a neighbour.

At an inquest into her death at Croydon Coroner's Court yesterday, it was revealed the 43-year-old mother of two had struggled with a drinking problem.

At its worst, Mrs Gilbert was drinking 80 units of alcohol a week.

The court heard how doctors had repeatedly tried to help her with her problem but it was never overcome.

Mrs Gilbert had recently split from her boyfriend but said she was excited about going to a wedding reception on October 1.

She returned to her Oakbank Avenue home in the early hours before a neighbour found her motionless on the floor the following day.

Ambulance crews arrived at 11.37am but it was clear she was dead.

Police arrived and a search of the house revealed two bottles of Scimitar strong white cider, one empty and the other half-full.

There were traces of crushed up tablets in a pool of vomit by her body and police found an empty packet of tramadol, a powerful pain killer, prescribed to a Mark Woods.

A post-mortem examination discovered alcohol in her blood at four times the driving limit and a potentially lethal level of tramadol.

The pathologist gave the cause of death as alcohol and tramadol intoxication.

Coroner Dr Ron Palmer said although the court had heard Mrs Gilbert had a history of overdoses he would not give a verdict of suicide.

He said she would have been too drunk to have been able to make such a thought.

Instead he suggested Mrs Gilbert, who suffered from health problems, had drunk “more than she should have” at the wedding reception.

She then “in pain so took a wildly excessive amount of tramadol”.

Dr Palmer recorded a verdict of accidental death.