AN elderly woman who fell down a cliff to her death may have been unbalanced by her heavy handbag, an inquest heard.

Maureen Bean was with her husband Derek and a group of old family friends when the accident occurred on the afternoon of July 9 this year.

Bournemouth Coroner's Court heard yesterday that the 79-year-old was last seen by one of her friends walking along the cliff top, but when the friend looked again Mrs Bean was gone.

After searching, they found she had fallen 18 feet onto the rocks below, sustaining a fatal head injury.

A pair of medical students and a midwife rushed to perform first aid but were unable to revive her.

Police constable Jennifer Bousfield, who attended the incident at Portland Bill, told the court she had weighed Mrs Bean's handbag using scales from a nearby cafe.

"It weighed 4.5kg," she said.

"It was a large handbag and the contents were not unusual. Apparently she wore it on her right shoulder, on the sea side if she had been walking from the obelisk."

The court heard Mrs Bean, who lived on the Isle of Wight, always carried a variety of items around with her just in case they might be needed.

Coroner Sheriff Payne, who recorded a verdict of accidental death, said Mrs Bean had been to her GP only a month before the accident, where concerns about her balance had been raised.

"No one actually saw what happened, she went off on her own," he said.

"There was no sign of disturbance to the cliff edge. One must assume therefore that she lost her balance, which may have been assisted by her handbag which was quite heavy."

In a statement, Mrs Bean's family said: "Following today's inquest it has been determined that Maureen's tragic and untimely death was the result of a terrible accident.

"Maureen Bean leaves behind her a loving husband, two children and their spouses, a granddaughter and a sister - all of whom are devastated by her loss."

They also expressed their gratitude to those who rushed to help Mrs Bean and the emergency services.