Dorset Ambulance Service suffered a 'complete communication breakdown' in dealing with an incident that led to the death of a mentally-ill pensioner, a coroner said.

Cybil Rosa Usher suffered heart failure and died after collapsing at her Dorset home last September, an inquest in Dorchester heard.

For more than 30 minutes police had to restrain the 75-year-old who had been sectioned and was about to be taken to Forston Clinic, near Dorchester.

A jury heard an ambulance took an hour to arrive following a doctor's emergency call.

The jury yesterday recorded a verdict of death by natural causes after hearing Mrs Usher suffered from heart disease.

She died at Yeovil Hospital after her heart failed while violently tussling with police.

The inquest earlier heard Mrs Usher had smashed items in her bedroom and acted violently towards her family, medical staff and police.

West Dorset Coroner Michael Johnston heard how doctor Simon Mottram called 999 and asked for an ambulance to attend to Mrs Usher's Nether Compton home. But with just one ambulance covering a large section of the county, paramedics took an hour to arrive.

The inquest heard ambulance control staff reveal that operators did not rate Dr Mottram's call as a top level priority, instead labelling it a level two or 'urgent' priority.

That meant paramedics had a target time of two hours to reach the scene from Shaftesbury, the jury was told, but control staff did not tell that to Dr Mottram.

Mr Johnston said: "It seems to me there has been a total communication breakdown between Dr Mottram and ambulance control.

"Dr Mottram told ambulance control staff the matter was urgent, with him intending that the incident was an emergency.

"Ambulance control took that to mean urgent priority, meaning an ambulance can get to the scene within a two-hour target time.

"Dr Mottram wanted the ambulance to arrive promptly - but problems within the service meant that did not happen."

Ambulance control officer Andrew Stephens said in a statement the service had been short of cover on the night of the incident.

Police officers, who restrained the 'crazed' Mrs Usher by holding her arms, told how they questioned how long the ambulance took to arrive.

PC Alistair Salter said: "We were all concerned about the fact the ambulance was called before us and had not yet arrived."

The inquest heard that police officers restraining Mrs Usher did not put pressure on her face and chest at any stage, allowing her to breath. They also performed mouth to mouth resuscitation and heart massage after she collapsed.

Mrs Usher's husband William told police officers during the inquest his family did not blame them for his wife's death.

Mr Johnston said: "The police officers acted with a great presence of mind - they were a credit to the force."

The officers in the case are currently subject of an Independent Police Complaints Commission inquiry.

After the inquest, Dorset Police Federation chairman Clive Chamberlain said he hoped the verdict would bring some closure to the matter.

He said the Crown Prosecution Service is also considering whether any of the officers should face criminal proceedings.

"This has been a traumatic incident for Mrs Usher's family to whom my colleagues extend their sincere condolences," he said.