A YOUNG woman drowned in a holiday swimming pool tragedy on the day she planned to visit a potential wedding venue with her fiancé.

Emma Campbell, from Winchfield, was found by her distraught partner George Mudford at the bottom of the deep end of the pool at her family's holiday home in Menorca, an inquest heard.

Heartbroken Mr Mudford did not attend the inquest into his 29-year-old fiancé's death held at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court today, but his statement was read out.

Mr Mudford said he left the family villa at 9am on Thursday, July 3, to go for a run. He added he had agreed with his partner to return within 30 minutes, because they had planned to see a church that morning.

Mr Mudford said: “When I came back from a run at 9.30am, I found my fiancé Emma face down at the bottom of the deep end of the pool.

“I jumped in and immediately pulled Emma to the surface and performed CPR to the best of my ability and screamed for help.”

He said a neighbour heard his cries and helped with the CPR, before paramedics arrived. Sadly, Miss Campbell was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.

Mr Mudford said his fiancé was “not a morning person” and had been quiet that day. He had left her drinking a glass of orange juice by the poolside.

Her mother Sally-Anne Le Clerc told the inquest: “She was well able to swim, she knew the pool - she had been there from a very early age. She was a good swimmer.”

The inquest heard that Miss Campbell had been diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, called pulmonary artesia, at an early age. The condition closes the pulmonary valve in the heart, reducing blood flow to the heart and lungs.

Mrs Le Clerc said her daughter had two operations, one as a baby and the other when she was three, and had to have regular check-ups - first at Great Ormond Street Hospital and then as an adult at University College Hospital.

But she said her daughter suffered no long-term effects, and was not on any medication for the condition.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Andrew Bradley, coroner for North East Hampshire, said the cause of Miss Campbell's death was drowning, with the background of her heart condition.

He said it was not clear what happened in the moments before her death, before adding: “I have no doubt it was an accidental death. Had she not been in the water, the nature of this event would not have happened. It's that helpless situation.”