Saffron Cole-Nottage died as rescuers from the coastguard, police and air ambulance attempted to free her after she . The mother-of-free had been walking her dog with her daughter Jessica on Sunday evening in Lowestoft, Suffolk.

Initial reports suggested that Saffron, 32, had somehow got her legs stuck between some boulders after , with emergency services unable to free her before the tide came in and she drowned. But there have been questions left unanswered following the tragedy which shocked the quiet seaside town.

The main question was how could this have happened? The area Saffron was walking on is thought to have been off-limits to pedestrians because of the dangers it poses - the huge boulders made of slippery granite and the concrete surface of the path covered with moss and, at times, icy. Signs and a barrier are said to be in place warning people not to attempt to walk there.

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The on Sunday, when temperatures were below freezing. Suffolk Police, HM Coastguard rescue officers from Lowestoft, the East of England Ambulance Service and the East Anglian Air Ambulance formed part of the huge rescue attempt.

"Police and other emergency services were in attendance in Lowestoft on Sunday at an incident in which a woman died after a fall," said a spokesman for Suffolk Police. "The death is currently being treated at unexplained, but there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances at this time. A file will now be completed for the coroner."

The coroner will be able to determine the exact cause of death, as well as investigate the circumstances surrounding it. Some have asked why rescuers were unable to free her in time?

In pictures showing the scene, deep voids between the huge boulders can be seen on the beach in Lowestoft. The voids appear to be large enough for a leg to become trapped, which is what reportedly happened to Saffron.

While rescuers arrived on scene promptly, the tide began coming in. The coroner's report will confirm exact details of her death, but with it being dark and cold, the slippy surface would have been difficult to navigate.

Her devastated partner has described what happened to Saffron as a "freak horrific" accident, but friends have questioned how teams of police and specially trained coast guard crews could not rescue her. One friend said: "Everyone is in disbelief. She was with her 11-year-old daughter Jess. They were walking along. Jess was holding the dog and Saff fell.

"Apparently the temperature dropped and the surface became like ice. She slipped. We've heard it suggested that she got wedged into the rocks somehow but it's not clear exactly what happened next.

"There have been conflicting reports about what happened. We have heard some reports that she was conscious but others saying the girl was calling to her, but she wasn't responding.

"It's just not clear and we hope the authorities can provide some answers. Whatever it was, it must have been absolutely horrific for the young girl. There would have been no one around at that hour in the dark."

A third question is why was she not given breathing apparatus as the water engulfed her? Again, this is unclear and will be examined in the report.

One resident, 65, told "Nobody is supposed to go down to that path. There is a barrier with a sign stopping people from going along it at one end and a sign at the other.

"The path is treacherous at any time of day, but even more so at night. It is just so slippery. I went down there once and slipped over. The surface is just like green slime. It is like an ice rink and slippery as hell. If you slip over, you could easily hit the rocks and end up breaking your leg or your neck.

"There are large gaps between the rocks and the path, and someone could easily tumble down."

A file is being prepared for the coroner.

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