Former Falmouth councillor Diana Merrett has been left reeling following the death of her son which came only weeks after she lost her mother.

Ms Merrett, who is battling lung cancer, returned home from a hospital appointment on Bank Holiday Monday to discover her son, David, had passed away while she was out. She is keen to make people aware that the 48-year-old died from natural causes, having suffered heart and kidney failure.

"I know lots of people will be saying he took drugs, but he was clean and the autopsy has confirmed that he hadn't," she said. "He died of natural causes, there were no drugs in his system."

David, who had survived a previous heart attack, had been caring for his mother since she was taken ill and Ms Merrett is keen that people know of the support he had given her. His death is a second blow for the former town councillor who is still recovering from the death of her mother, Dorothy May Scheppel, who passed away in hospital last month aged 86.

Ms Merrett said of David's death: "It has shaken everybody because he was so young. We found him laying on his bed when we got home at 8.20pm, but there was nothing we could do. I have been really shaken by it."

Ms Merrett had represented the Smithick ward on Falmouth Town Council since 2007, but did not seek re-election at this month's local elections because of her ill health.