A HUSBAND found his wife slumped dead on the kitchen floor after she drank the equivalent of 31 shots of vodka.

Mary Middleton, 57, was discovered on her back underneath a table with a half-empty bottle of vodka by her side, an inquest heard.

A post-mortem examination later revealed Mrs Middleton had drunk so much she was five times over the legal drink driving limit.

Her husband Keith told the hearing he found his wife under the kitchen table at their home in Sandy Lane, Fair Oak, near Eastleigh.

He tried in vain to revive her using mouth to mouth resuscitation and heart massage.

The couple, although not officially separated, had been living apart for the last two years because of Mrs Middleton's drink problem.

In a statement Mr Middleton said his wife would get so drunk that she used to fall into a coma. He said: "I knew that there was no hope for her because of how much she was drinking."

Winchester coroner Graham Short recorded a verdict of accidental death.