A woman died after she lit 17 candles for a romantic evening with her imaginary boyfriend - and accidentally set her flat on fire, an inquest heard today.

Jane Ellis, 46, believed she was in a relationship with a man called 'Ian' and she would light candles to summon him, a coroner's court was told.

She lit 17 of them for a meeting last year but inadvertently set her house on fire.

A woman set her flat on fire after lighting candles for a romantic evening with her imaginary boyfriend, an inquest at Reading Coroner's Court has heard

Neighbours in the flats rushed round to tell her the building was on fire but she slammed the door shut and ignored their warnings.

She was later found lying face-down on the bathroom floor.

The 46-year-old was airlifted to hospital in an induced coma but died on February 8 last year.

She died of brain injuries from smoke inhalation and burns.

Her brother-in-law, Andrew Manley, told the coroner: 'In my opinion this was an entirely preventable incident had Jane been put in a safe place and adequately monitored until she became well.

'We were pleading to speak to the assessor to give further information about her and we were refused point blank from doing so.

'If the candles were being used to contact an imaginary boyfriend you can at least appreciate that there is some risk there.'

On the first day of a three-day inquest in Reading, the court heard how she was due to meet her friend, Susan Arnett, on February 6 before driving to Bristol for a Christian conference with her sister Elizabeth Manley.

Ms Arnett told police she had known Ms Ellis for 20 years and she had a history of mental illness.

She recalled how she was due to pick her up from her mother's house the day before the fire.

She told the court: 'Jane texted back saying "we are just getting ready". I presumed she meant her and her mother but in hindsight she probably meant her and Ian.'

Neighbours in the flats rushed round to tell her the building on Oxford Road, Sandhurst, in Berkshire (pictured) was on fire but she slammed the door shut and ignored their warnings

She arrived to find Ms Ellis was not at her mother's home and the two drove round to her flat where they found her sitting on the pavement with a plastic carrier bag.

'Jane said she was just waiting for Ian and then we could go', she said.

Ms Arnett said she had never heard of Ian but her friend told her they were planning to get married and go on a honeymoon to Egypt.

'He was never a boyfriend...they had known a man called Ian when they lived in Gloucester,' she added.

Ms Arnett called her friend's GP surgery - which had been responsible for her care after she was discharged from a mental health service team in July 2014.

Dr Deepak Goyal, from Sandhurst Group Practice, came up with a ruse for Ms Arnett to tell Ms Ellis 'Ian' was waiting at his practice, the inquest heard.

The pair went to the surgery and when Ms Ellis saw Dr Goyal she 'almost ran towards him with arms open as if she was going to hug him.'

Ms Arnett, who was still speaking to Mrs Manley over the phone, rang police after Ms Ellis later came out of the surgery.

Three police officers arrived and Ms Ellis went back to the surgery after one spoke to her, the coroner was told.

She added: 'Dr Goyal said Jane appeared to need sectioning.

'I heard the police say that they would have difficulties sectioning Jane because she did not appear to be in danger of immediate harm to herself.'