A FATHER has described the “agony” his family have endured over the last five months following the sudden death of his daughter.

Lorna Lambden was found dead at her home in Globe Close, Harpenden, on December 17 last year, an inquest heard yesterday.

She was discovered by a close friend lying on the living room floor, with her favourite film on – Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Dad Roy Lambden, of Flamstead, said: “We didn't believe how hard it would be to lose somebody.

“It's been agony, such a rollercoaster, but on the positive side it's changed our attitude to life.

“We want to do more things now in life, because this has just illutrated how fragile it can be.”

Coroner for Hertfordshire Edward Thomas, who ruled out suicide, summarised Lorna's toxicology results, and explained how a “fatal” level of the drug amitriptyline was found in her blood.

Police searches at the 28-year-old's home discovered ten empty blister packets of the drug in the kitchen.

Mr Thomas explained, however, that it had not been prescribed to Lorna, but she may have obtained an equivalent named amitrip – which is availble on the internet.

The drug boosts energy levels and causes drowsiness which helps people suffering with lack of sleep.

He said: “In levels four milligrammes was found in her blood, and a therapuetic level is about one milligramme.

“The calculation of how many tablets were taken is difficult to quantify, but with amitriptylin there is, as with other medications, a post mortem redistribution. The consentration gets higher between the time of death and when the test is carried out.”

Mr Thomas said after taking the drug Lorna may have collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrhythmia.

Her last contact with family and friends was on December 15, when she had also complained of being tired. Through evidence Mr Thomas said it appeared Lorna had been dead for up to two days and recorded the cause of death as accidental.

Paying tribute to his “bright and bubbly” daughter Mr Lambden said: “She was very adventurous, of high energy and just smiled constantly.

“She was always the life and soul of the party and was the kind of person who could light up a room.”

Lorna, who started work as a paramedic for the London Ambulance Service five years ago, was also studying for a masters degree at the University of Hertfordshire.

Mr Lambden said Lorna had many hobbies, including horse riding, sailing and surfing, and she will sorely be missed by him, her mother Sandra and sisters Amy, 29, and Heather, 24.