A mother-of-three was found dead with her youngest son asleep on her arm after a freak gardening accident.

Laura Hobday was electrocuted as she tried to unjam a hedge trimmer she was using for the first time.

When neighbours discovered her body her 22-month-old son, Josh, was asleep but unharmed next to her.

The 35-year-old had been cutting back foliage in her garden when she tried to unplug the trimmer and received a massive electric shock.

Last night her family said they hoped that the story of Ms Hobday's death would persuade others not to take chances with electricity.

Neighbour Victoria Morris told an inquest at Eastbourne Coroners' Court that she had heard Josh crying “mummy” in the back garden during the morning of June 2 last year.

She became concerned when Ms Hobday did not arrive at Ringmer Nursery School to pick up her eldest son at midday.

She and another friend Adrienne Purdon went back to Ms Hobday's four-bedroom semi-detached house in Lewes Road, Ringmer, but could not get an answer.

When they looked through the hedge they saw her lying barefoot in the back garden with the hedge trimmer by her side.

Mrs Morris said: “Adrienne went through the hedge and found Laura's youngest son lying on her arm asleep.”

The police and paramedics were alerted and former air stewardess Ilone Taylor carried out CPR until medics arrived but she was already dead.

The inquest was told that Ms Hobday had been electrocuted because the pin section of the socket she was disconnecting had been put together incorrectly.

East Sussex coroner Alan Craze described her death as a tragedy caused by a basic fatal error in a home made repair.

He said: “The two ends of the socket were attached in the wrong way and were very, very dangerous.”

He said it could have been prevented by a circuit breaker being fitted to the consumer unit in the house or by a cheap plug-in circuit breaker available from DIY stores.

Ms Hobday had separated from former partner Gary Neale and was living alone with their three children aged five, three and 22 months.

Mr Neale said the in-line socket had been fitted to the hedge trimmer when he had been given it, before the couple moved to Ringmer in 2007.

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Sam Thomas, of the Electrical Safety Council, said it is campaigning to persuade everyone to fit circuit breakers to the consumer units in their homes.

He said: “Had one been used in this case there is a very high chance that it would have saved her life.

“If not people can buy a plug-in version from any major hardware or gardening store for about £10.”

Jan Hobday, 55, Laura's mother, said: “Our main concern now is that nobody else should have to go through something like this.

“It is worrying that people are generally so ignorant of the dangers that can present themselves in the home.

“We hope that lessons can be learnt from her death that might prevent any further unnecessary accidents such as this.”

Speaking after the inquest, Mr Neale said the family's priority now was to ensure the future of their three sons.

He said: “Our main focus is the boys and making sure they are brought up the way that Laura brought them up.

“They are doing really, really well despite what has happened.”

Josh is now nearly three, Luke is four and Zak is nearly seven.

The two youngest are still at nursery school while Zak is at a local primary school.

Ms Hobday was born and brought up in Bedford and worked as a registered child minder before she became a full-time mum.

Mr Neale said: “I now look after the boys but I have a nanny who helps me as well.

“We just try as best we can to keep their daily routine to what Laura did.”