A grandmother telephoned the Samaritans shortly before suffering fatal head injuries at her Oxfordshire home, an inquest heard.

Eleanor Woolham, 61, of Oxford Road, Adderbury, was foundat the bottom of her stairs by her son and seven-year-old grandson at 3pm on December 23. She had been Christmas shopping in Banbury that morning, Oxfordshire Coroner's Court heard.

Mrs Woolham suffered a fractured skull. Telephone records showed she made a flurry of calls that afternoon, including to her estranged husband and the Samaritans.

Her son Neil Parker, who had recently moved in with her, said she had an intermittent drink problem but had not drunk any alcohol that day.

There was no evidence of a burglary, he said, and though he had "a lot of doubts", Mr Parker believed his mother probably fell and hit her head.

His brother Stephen Parker said she seemed to have made a large number of telephone calls between 12.30pm and 2.30pm, many lasting just a few seconds.

"The only thing I can think of is that she was trying to get hold of people," he said.

The Samaritans refused to speak to the family about the calls.

Mrs Woolham was treated at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford but died on December 30.

Coroner Nicholas Gardiner recorded a verdict that she died as a result of an accident.