A 99-year-old grandmother who liked to ride her stairlift standing up died after falling off it with a cup of tea, an inquest has heard.

Renee Hall ignored her family's warnings to sit down on the device instead of standing up on the footrest, coroner Peter Bedford was told.

It is believed she fell backwards from the device months before her 100th birthday and crashed, head-first, on to the wooden floor of her home in Datchet, Berkshire. She died in hospital a month later.

A grandmother died after falling while standing up in her stairlift, an inquest heard. File photo

The grandmother had no memory of her fall but a cup of tea was found spilled near where she was found lying face down on August 23 last year.

A statement written by her son, Nick Hall, was read out by Senior Coroner for Berkshire this week.

The coroner said: 'His mother, a 99-year-old lady was extremely active and fit for her age.

'He described her as extremely strong-willed and says various members of the family were always warning her of some of her more risky activities.

'She had a propensity to go up and down stairs standing on the footrest of the stairlift rather than sitting on it and Mr Hall says that the family believe that it was while doing this that she suffered a head injury.'

Mr Bedford said Mrs Hall was last seen by a relative before her fall on August 22.

It is believed she hit her head on a wall before crashing to the floor unconsciousness and was found the next day lying face down with cuts to near her left eye and elbow.

South Central Ambulance Service paramedics rushed her from her home to Wexham Park Hospital in Slough.

Mrs Hall was taken to Wexham Park Hospital in Slough but later died, the inquest heard

The coroner said doctors who treated her were told she was found at the bottom of the stairs and 'while an unwitnessed fall, Mrs Hall was found face down on a hard wooden floor by her grandson.'

Doctors later diagnosed a bleed to the brain called a subdural haematoma.

Mrs Hall died with her family by her side on September 27 after her condition suddenly worsened and neuro-surgeons at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford recommended not to carry out brain surgery.

The inquest was told that her family did not believe that her other health conditions, including two strokes and heart problems, caused her fall.

Mr Bedford said: 'Despite Mrs Hall's mature years of 99 she appears to have been remarkably fit and active for her age.

'I do not believe it unreasonable to accept the family's interpretation of events. Clearly she has overbalanced while holding a cup of tea in her hand. She was not able to break her fall.

'Subdural haematoma is a cerebral trauma related injury with which I am very familiar.'

Mr Bedford ruled that Mrs Hall died as a result of an accident.