A BOURNEMOUTH mum is angry after her daughter took more than six weeks to be properly laid to rest.

Susan Hodgetts' daughter Zoe Loudon-Godfrey, 50  was spending time in Somerset with her partner when she suddenly became unwell and breathless on May 7.

(Image: Susan Hodgetts)

After a trip to the GP, it was revealed Zoe had developed a small brain tumour, she was taken to the hospital then discharged and told to come back in two weeks for a check-up.

Zoe’s condition got rapidly worse, and she was airlifted to Musgrove Park Hospital where she remained on a life support machine.

Zoe’s mum, Susan Hodgetts, 69, said: “The doctors said there's too much brain damage for her to come out of this.

“They said, 'We're going to turn the life support machine off', which they did that day on May 10.”

“It all happened just so soon and so suddenly.

“It just got worse from there, they had to do a post-mortem because they couldn't determine the cause of death as there was no pathologist available.

“Zoe lay in the morgue there for four weeks waiting for a post-mortem.

“It was only when I contacted the nationals for a story that they conducted the post-mortem at 9am the next day.

(Image: Susan Hodgetts)

“They sent her brain off to Bristol neurological department for further examination, and they just said they were going to do a coroner's inquest because they couldn't determine the cause of death and they needed the results from the brain biopsies but that can take up to six months.

“She then laid in the undertaker's office for three weeks because he couldn't get any paperwork from the coroner's office.”

“We were all in limbo for nearly two months.”

A spokesperson for Somerset County Council said: “We have extended our sincere condolences and sympathies to the family and apologised for the delay they experienced at what is always a very difficult time.

“The delay was due to a shortage of pathologists, which is sadly a national issue.

"Pressure on pathology services is affecting many areas of the country and is in part caused by the numbers of pathologists entering the profession and balancing other medical work with undertaking post mortems. 

"Somerset currently has reduced pathologist capacity in one of its areas which is causing some delays in delivering post mortems.

"We have been working with pathologists to address the resource issue and reduce, as far as possible, the impact on delivery of post mortems. "

The cause of death hasn’t been determined but doctors believe Zoe died of a heart attack.

Zoe was finally laid to rest after being cremated on July 3, almost three months since she died.