A heartbroken daughter has shared the "horrific" experience of watching her mum pass away after contracting legionella from a hot tub during a holiday. Paulette Crookes, 70, was marking her landmark birthday with loved ones at a hired cottage on the Isle of Wight, but tragically, she passed away less than a month later.

Earlier this week, a jury determined that Mrs Crookes' death was due to pneumonia, directly caused by a legionella infection she contracted from the hot tub at Tapnell Farm. The verdict comes over five years after the family's stay in February 2020, during which they noticed the water in the hot tub was cloudy and had an unpleasant odour.

The family claimed that no staff members inspected or tested the hot tub during their stay, an allegation refuted by the farm. Throughout the inquest, Mrs Crookes' daughter, Denise Scott, 48, tirelessly sought answers.

Now, for the first time since the inquest, she has spoken about the devastating loss of her mother, saying: "It was awful. We took her to celebrate her 70th birthday - and four weeks later she was dead. Having to relay that to all the family was terrible."

Mrs Crookes, originally from Rochford in Essex and residing in Sandown, Isle of Wight, had planned the trip with 10 family members. The inquest heard that she used the hot tub multiple times over the weekend.

However, by the second day, the family detected a "strange smell" and observed the water was "cloudy, off-colour". On the last day of the holiday, Mrs Crookes felt ill and decided to leave early.

Multiple family members subsequently fell ill, with grandchildren developing skin rashes. The family contacted Tapnell Farm via email to alert them that some relatives were "ill" and "rashy" and relayed medical advice that "the rash is a direct result of a poorly maintained hot tub".

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Mrs Crookes' health deteriorated rapidly, experiencing dizziness and vomiting before being rushed to hospital and moved to intensive care. She was put into an induced coma on February 18 and doctors confirmed she had contracted legionella.

She subsequently suffered a stroke and a heart attack before passing away tragically on March 8. Recalling the harrowing moment, Mrs Scott revealed: "Before she was put into a coma, mum made us promise that she would wake up again. It was just horrific when she died."

She continued: "I probably still haven't grieved properly. We've tried to keep the family traditions going, but it's just not the same anymore. We didn't even want to celebrate the first Christmas without her."

This week's inquest verdict - which confirmed Mrs Crookes had contracted legionella from the hot tub - brought some comfort to the bereaved family. Mrs Scott stated: "The verdict meant that we weren't just consumed in grief and anger - we were right.

"There had been a lot of delays - but I would have waited another five years if it meant we'd get the same verdict we did."

She described Mrs Crookes as the "heart and soul" of the family, a devoted mum, grandmother and step-grandmother who cherished every opportunity for a celebration. Mrs Scott shared: "She was an amazing woman. She would never let any occasion go by without celebrating - birthdays, kids' parties, easter egg hunts.

"She would do anything she could do to make sure the kids and grandkids were at her house. She had six grandchildren and they adored her."

Mrs Crookes had a colourful life, managing pubs and working various jobs across the country before relocating to the Isle of Wight to be nearer to her daughters.

Once she made the island her home, she met her partner James, a butcher, and joined him in running his Shanklin shop. Now that the inquest into her death has concluded, Mrs Scott hopes her mum's case will raise awareness about the risks associated with legionella.

She stated: "We've all heard the word 'legionella', but most people just don't know how dangerous it is."