AN ACCRINGTON woman has died after being found slumped in the bath at a friend's house.

Carole Anne Abraham, 48, was collapsed in the bath at a house in Manchester Road, Haslingden.

Paramedics took her to Fairfield Hospital, in Bury, at 7.30pm on Saturday, December 3, where she was pronounced dead.

Police were informed of her death at 10.30pm and at first officers treated it as suspicious and launched an investigation.

A police spokeswoman today said: "The death was initially treated as suspicious, but it was subsequently revealed that there were no suspicious circumstances.

"One person was arrested but they were later released."

During the investigation into Mrs Abraham's death detectives received information that there was a gun in her house in Peel Park Avenue.

A team of officers were sent to the property on Tuesday to carry out a search during which they found a blank firing pistol.

Sgt Mark Porter, from Accrington police, said: "There is no criminal offence. It is not connected to any incident, it is just an item of property that we found out was at the address. In the interests of safety we went and recovered it."

Neighbours of Mrs Abraham, who has a teenage son, said they were shocked at the news of her death.

One said: "We only knew her as a neighbour to say hello to. She lost her husband Vic a few months ago."

Mrs Abraham's mum, Kathleen Foster, of Burnley Road, Accrington, had to identify her body.

An inquest into her death, which was opened in Burnley on Tuesday, heard that Home Office pathologist Dr John Rutherford had carried out a post mortem examination.

But the hearing was adjourned because the results of further tests were needed before the cause of her death could be established.