An elderly couple took their own lives in a suicide pact after a catalogue of illness had made their lives unbearable.

Alan Barber, 79, and his bed-ridden wife Luise, 83, had previously stated that if life became too difficult they would end their lives together, Bradford Coroner's Court was told yesterday.

The couple who had been married for 30 years both suffered from a series of illnesses including heart problems.

Mrs Barber also suffered from chronic arthritic pain and had a nasty infection in her left hip.

She had been through three hip operations and contracted MRSA in hospital.

Her daughter, Marion Holman, wept as she told Coroner Roger Whittaker that her mother's biggest fear was going back to Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Miss Holman's step-father Alan had also suffered medical problems and developed dementia.

Mr Barber had been his wife's carer but had become increasingly frustrated because he had been unable to do some tasks.

The inquest heard the pair had both told Miss Holman, of Sale, Cheshire, that both had made comments about ending their lives together on a number of occasions, and made living wills.

In a statement read to the court, Miss Holman said she first became worried when her mother called her up to say that it could be their last conversation.

Miss Holman explained that her mother had made comments like this before, but even so she and her partner drove to Bradford to check.

When they arrived she found them both in bed facing each other, breathing but unable to be woken. She phoned an ambulance and they were taken to hospital where it was agreed they would not be treated.

The couple, of Anson Grove, Great Horton, Bradford, died two days later.

A post-mortem revealed they had each taken an overdose of methadone and nitrazepam.

Miss Holman told the coroner her mother's biggest fear was going to hospital again only to be brought out as a "cabbage".

"She had always begged me never to go into the BRI again and I thought I had failed her," she said.

"My biggest fear was that she would wake up in there. I felt I had failed her in that respect."

Consultant pathologist Dr Karen Ramsden assured Miss Holman that her mother and step-father would not have known anything about being in hospital.

The inquest was told Mr and Mrs Barber had also told their GP that when life became too difficult they would take their own lives and would not want to be resuscitated.

Miss Holman said: "The paramedics were in an untenable position. All I wanted was to have them go to sleep in their beds, but that was not possible. Once they (paramedics) were called they had to act.

"I think the only problem I had in hospital was when I spoke to the consultant and he said they would be brain damaged and said he would give them intravenous antibiotics.

"I would not treat my dog like that. I asked him what he would achieve by doing that."

The decision was made to let the pair drift off in their sleep.

Mr Whittaker recorded a verdict of suicide, adding: "Mr and Mrs Barber had indicated both to their GP and to Miss Holman that they intended to take their own lives together at the stage life has become intolerable.

"By the efforts of Miss Holman the wishes of her mother and step-father were respected in relation to further treatment, which might have prolonged their lives or brought them back from unconsciousness."