An Australian nurse who fell to her death after DJ Fatboy Slim's Brighton beach party had taken a cocktail of drink and drugs, an inquest heard.

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death on Karen Manders, 26, after hearing she would have been confused and disorientated as she made her way off the city's beach along with 250,000 revellers.

She later fell 20ft on to the Lower Promenade after sitting on railings on Brighton seafront. Witnesses said she was waving her arms seconds before she slid to her death.

Pathologist Dr Neera Patel, based at Brighton's Royal Sussex County Hospital, where Miss Manders died on July 16, told the inquest the nurse had drunk enough to put her twice over the drink-drive limit and had also taken MDMA (Ecstasy).

She said: "It is likely that she would have been disorientated, in terms of not knowing who she was or where she was. It could have made her agitated. In my opinion, this level of MDMA, together with the alcohol, would have affected her behaviour."

Miss Manders, from London, had been caught up in the massive crowds in the hours after the open-air concert on July 13, which brought the city to a standstill.

At first police treated her death as suspicious and Bradley Bench, 16, from St Albans, Herts who met Miss Manders moments before the incident at 1.30am on July 14, was arrested.

He told the inquest how he had met Miss Manders and, after kissing, had helped her to her feet and taken her to the railings at the bottom of West Street so she could regain her balance.

He turned to pick up his mobile phone. When he looked back he saw Miss Manders - a bank nurse at the Homerton Hospital in east London - fall. He said: "She was just standing there and then she fell."

Mr Bench, now 17, said he had not struggled with Miss Manders. Police investigated anecdotal claims that Mr Bench and Miss Manders had argued before she fell, but they proved unfounded.

Mr Bench was released without charge. The police inquiry into the incident was closed on July 18.

Brighton and Hove Coroner Veronica Hamilton Deeley said Miss Manders had been happy and enjoying herself in the hours before her death.

She said: "Her balance and her behaviour would have been affected, which of course is crucial to this sad case. It was Karen who sat on those railings. It is not suggested that Bradley put her on those railings. Karen was most likely unaware of what was happening to her."

After the hearing, Miss Manders' brother Jason, 30, a bar manager from Croydon, said she was planning to travel round Europe with friends in a camper van two weeks after she died.

He said: "As a family we are satisfied with the verdict. We are happy that it was properly investigated and we attach no blame to anyone."

Miss Manders, who died from massive head injuries, was originally from Mackay in Queensland, Australia.