Newbury mother-of-four's canal death ruled to be an accident

Tracey Maslin drowned under the influence of alcohol

THE inquest into the death of a mother-of-four, whose body was recovered from the Kennet and Avon Canal in Newbury, ruled it to be an accident.

Tracey Maslin, 46, was found dead in the early hours of Monday, November 27, 2017, following a night of drinking at the Diamond Tap and Hatchet pubs in Newbury.

Town council CCTV cameras showed Mrs Maslin walking alone along the southern towpath of the canal, near the library car park, in the early hours of Saturday, November 25. She was seen to stumble before continuing walking.

Mrs Maslin was then obscured on the camera, but a disturbance was recorded in the water at 1.46am.

Toxicology reports showed Mrs Maslin had 298mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood, and 364mg of alcohol in 100ml of urine. It is estimated between 200-300mg of alcohol in the blood can lead to coma and 400mg can lead to death.

The coroner agreed with the toxicology and post mortem findings that Mrs Maslin died through drowning while under the influence of alcohol, and ruled the death was accidental.

For a full report of the inquest, see the Newbury Weekly News next Thursday.