A PENSIONER died after she dropped a lit cigarette and her nylon night dress caught fire, an inquest heard.Joyce Roberts suffered from severe arthritis and spent most of her days sat in a chair at her home in Clacton.

A PENSIONER died after she dropped a lit cigarette and her nylon night dress caught fire, an inquest heard.

Joyce Roberts suffered from severe arthritis and spent most of her days sat in a chair at her home in Clacton.

The 82-year-old dropped a cigarette which fell between her and the chair, causing her night dress to quickly catch fire, on the morning of August 3 last year.

Essex Coroner's Court heard yesterday Mrs Roberts suffered severe burns to her lower body and her illness meant she had been unable to get out of her chair.

She was found by her husband who had been outside in the garage. He called the emergency services and she was flown by air ambulance to Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford.

Mrs Roberts died later the same day and a post mortem examination showed the cause of death to be multiple organ failure caused by severe burns.

Fire station officer Lee Lucas said an investigation into the fire had been carried out and said the blaze started accidentally.

He said: “She was not very mobile and was not able to get up.”

Essex Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray recorded a verdict that the pensioner died as a result of an accident.

n A 31-year-old man from Great Baddow, near Chelmsford died after lighting a can of petrol in his garden on August 26.

Lee Winchester's family had been concerned about his wellbeing for some time before the incident, Essex Coroner's Court was told yesterday.

His clothes caught light and he then used the garden tap to put out the fire before he went back into his house in agony.

Mr Winchester was taken by ambulance to Chelmsford's Broomfield Hospital, suffering from 75% burns, but he died on September 23 last year. Mrs Beasley-Murray recorded an open verdict.