A 16-year-old girl who died the weekend before Christmas had taken an overdose of prescription drugs, a coroner heard.

The inquest opened into the death of former Plume pupil Hannah Blowers, of Fambridge Road, Maldon, on Tuesday morning, led by area coroner Eleanor McGann.

Mrs McGann heard Hannah had returned from college in Kent for the Christmas holidays shortly before her death.

On December 19 Hannah’s family tried to wake her to go out for the day, but she was found in bed unresponsive.

Following a toxicology report, the coroner’s officer gave a provisional cause of death as a drug overdose.

Mrs McGann adjourned the inquest until June 6, but said the date may be brought forward.

An outpouring of grief on social media followed Hannah’s death and staff at Plume paid tribute to their former pupil, with more than 150 people attending her funeral service.

Head of Plume School Carl Wakefield said: “The Plume family is very sad to lose one of its own and many of our staff have extremely fond memories of Hannah.”

At the time of her death, her mother Sara Burrell, 39, described her daughter as “kind hearted” with a passion for horses and said she was “missing her like hell”.

A fundraising page has been set up to name a guide dog puppy in Hannah’s memory, with a target of £5,000.

Sara walks guide dog puppies, starting just over three years ago, and Hannah wanted to help visually impaired people gain their independence.

The page is more than halfway to its target, having raised £2,613.93 from 96 donations.

To donate visit justgiving.

com/hannahblowers