Wrote daughter note: 'Sorry there are so many bags to go to clothing bank'

A couple left their daughter thoughtful domestic notes before carrying out a meticulously-planned joint suicide pact, an inquest heard.

Martin and Catherine Joyce, aged 68 and 66, also warned emergency service crews about the dangerous gas they had used to kill themselves at their £1.5million flat.

Prior to their death in July, the pair - who are thought to have been plagued by mounting debts - taped a sign on a chair at their south Wimbledon property which read: 'Stop. Danger. We've committed suicide using gas.'

Emergency services raced to the scene of the couple's £1.5million Wimbledon flat in July

The couple were found lying side by side on the bed in their night clothes having planned their deaths in detail

The couple were found lying side by side on the bed wearing their night clothes, having planned their deaths in detail.

They packed up their possessions for their daughter Amanda and left a note on the kitchen table which read: 'Sorry there are so many bags to go to the clothing bank.'

The couple, of Oxford House in Wimbledon, were directors of real estate company Insignia Partnerships Limited which is believed to have had debts of £87,000.

Westminster Coroners Court heard the pair killed themselves because they could no longer 'lead the life they wanted.'

Martin and Catherine Joyce warned emergency service crews about the dangerous gas they had used to kill themselves at their home (pictured)

Coroner Shirley Radcliffe said: 'They were faced with the prospect of a change in their circumstances and lifestyle.

'They thought they weren't going to live the life the wanted. They agreed they didn't want to face that.

'It was incredibly well thought out and planned with minimum disruption to everybody.'

'They left notes making cogent reasons why they made this decision.

'They did not consider themselves depressed or fed up. This was a way of ensuring a good death.'

On July 21, residents in the neighbouring flats were evacuated when alarms were raised about the presence of gas in their homes, before officers forced entry into the building.

Detective Constable Talia Schurr told the inquest she found the sign on a chair as the entered the flat.

The coroner said the rest of the flat was immaculate, adding: 'Everything was in place until entering the bedroom. There were no signs of anything of a violent nature or a struggle taking place.

'They made sure no one came into contact with hazardous substances when finding their bodies.

'There's no suggestion that one forced the other to do something they didn't want to do.

'It's extremely clear from the notes they left that they both made a decision together. It was agreed and planned'.

Detective Constable Talia Schurr told the inquest she found the sign on a chair as the entered the flat

The coroner said the couple had packed up their clothes for their daughter Amanda and left a note: 'They had prepared the bags and written that there was a supermarket trolley in the basement that could be used to load the bags into.'

Ruling a verdict of suicide, Coroner Radcliffe said: 'Martin and Catherine were fit and well for their age.

'They were clearly well loved by each other and by their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren.

'They very carefully thought out and planned a means by which they both killed themselves together in a relatively straightforward and painless way.'

The post-mortem showed neither Martin or Catherine were under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of their death.

The coroner recorded a verdict of suicide by asphyxiation in both cases.