A 73-YEAR-OLD woman's body was found in the canal after she took her own life, an inquest has heard.

The body of Elisabeth Brown was recovered from the River Frome near the Dudbridge end of the Ebley bypass called the Weir on Monday, July 8 this year.

The inquest, held at Gloucester Coroner's Court, heard that Mrs Brown had left a suicide note at her home in Chapel Lane, Ebley before taking some medication and going to the canal.

At 4.30pm, police received a call from a father and son saying they had found a body in the river whilst walking along the towpath.

Mrs Brown was pronounced dead at the scene just after 6pm.

Assistant coroner for Gloucestershire Katie Skerrett recorded a verdict of suicide, stating that Mrs Brown suffered a severe psychotic episode in 2012 and despite extensive efforts by the mental health team to help treat the problems they did not go away.

“Although she was deemed low risk by the mental health team it is clear that she intended to take her own life,” she said.