A YOUNG woman’s troubled life ended when she drowned a day after appearing at Bolton Magistrates Court, an inquest heard.

Donna Greenall’s body was found by dog walker Peter Holt in Rivington Reservoir.

In a statement, Mr Holt told how several drink cans littered the bank of the reservoir and when he went to pick them up he spotted a body, which he initially thought was a bin bag, 7ft away in the water.

Fire crews recovered the body of 26-year-old Miss Greenall who, pathologist Dr David Bisset told the court, had died from drowning and had been in the water for several hours.

She had more than three and a half times the legal alcohol level for driving in her blood and Dr Bisset added that her alcohol level could have been even higher prior to her death.

Solicitor Adam Whittaker said he had represented Miss Greenall at Bolton Magistrates Court on July 28 when she had been given a suspended prison sentence for being drunk and disorderly and breaching an anti-social behaviour order.

Prior to the hearing he had warned her that she could be going to jail as she had a criminal record for similar behaviour.

“She didn’t seem particularly upset at that prospect,” said Mr Whittaker, adding that she did not mention, at any time, wanting to harm herself.

Miss Greenall’s mother, Norma Greenall, told area coroner Alan Walsh that her daughter, who was brought up in Horwich, began drinking at the age of 14 and left home at the age of 16.

“I was aware that Donna continued to drink and have problems with alcohol that got worse and worse,” she said.

Miss Greenall was homeless after local hostels refused to take her because of her behaviour and, in a statement, her partner Keith Wilkins said she had talked about living in a tent at Rivington, where she had gone as a child when playing truant from school with her sister Michelle Taylor.

The court head that Miss Greenall had had treatment for depression and had previously taken overdoses, but she had not given the impression she wanted to kill herself on this occasion

Mr Walsh recorded a conclusion that Miss Greenall's death was "misadventure."