A woman whose 19-year-old daughter died from meningitis hours after being sent home from hospital has spoken about the tragedy.

Lisa Richardson was given the all clear by doctors who sent her home in the early hours of the morning last week, but collapsed and died later the same day.

Speaking from the family home in Gateshead, mother-of-three Linda Richardson, 46, said: "It all just kicked off so quickly. I am just full of shock, horror and disbelief."

Lisa, who had two older brothers, Dave, 21, and 23-year-old Mark, had been with her boyfriend when she developed a high temperature and started vomiting.

Her father, Brian, took her to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Gateshead, at 10pm and, after being put on a drip to lower her temperature, the former Whickham Comprehensive School pupil was sent home shortly after 1am.

Mrs Richardson said: "When she got home, she went to bed saying she had a slight headache but otherwise she seemed fine.

"When I got up in the morning, she was downstairs being sick and she kept falling over.

"I got her back into bed and Brian rang a doctor, who told us to get her to hospital. I was getting her ready to go when she suddenly collapsed in the hallway."

Tests later showed Lisa had died of meningococcal septicaemia.

"We had no idea it could have been meningitis," said Mr Richardson. "The hospital did everything they could for her. They didn't even know it was meningitis and they are medically trained - how were we supposed to know?"

Lisa, who worked at Asda in the MetroCentre, was buried at Garden House Cemetery after a service at Holy Trinity, Swalwell.