Woman Dies In Snow

A 25-year-old woman found collapsed in the snow was found next door to where she was staying and might have died after a tragic accident in sub-zero temperatures following a night out.

Bernadette Lee was discovered in the front garden of the house next to her sister's by a man walking his dog yesterday morning at 7.30am in Church Meadows, Deal, Kent.

It is believed she had no visible injuries and there are reports she was not wearing a coat when she was found after going out for drinks.

Police are still investigating what caused the death but confirmed they are looking at the possibility that Ms Lee got into difficulties as she made her way home.

"There are other possibilities we are looking at but one theory is that this is a tragic accident where a young woman was on her way home from a night out, but she didn't make it to where she was staying.

"We don't know if that was because of the cold, or she slipped or she was drunk or she became ill.''

Earlier police said the woman was pronounced dead at the scene and the death was not being treated as suspicious but it was unexplained.

A post-mortem examination will be held later this week.

Meanwhile, a Facebook page has been set up, with friends expressing their shock at the death of Ms Lee.

One friend, James Tehrani, said she was "funny, vibrant, chatty and very much in love with life''.

Another friend, Alice Storer, said: "Rest in peace. Such a shock as I was speaking to you last night. A beautiful star in the sky.''