A mother whose daughter died of inhaling butane gas is calling for a change in the law.

Candy-Marie Ward, of Whitlock Drive, Southfields, was only 29 when she died of a cardiac arrest after sniffing the deadly gas on New Year's Eve.

Her mother, Sharon Stevens, is calling for the law to be changed which allowed Miss Ward to stockpile it from nearby shops without anyone batting an eyelid.

She said she visited the shop where Miss Ward bought the gas and showed staff her death certificate, after they let her keep a tab for the substance.

The 52-year-old said: "They must have been aware of what she was doing. Something must be done to make people more aware of it.

"I want people to know what it will do to them. Lungs, breathing, respiratory, heart problems - you don't want all of that."

She contacted Wandsworth police to try and stop shops selling her daughter butane, but current law allows anyone over the age of 18 to legally buy it.

Ms Stevens said when not hooked on the gas her daughter was bubbly, intelligent and good at languages, however after inhaling her mood would change.

She said: "It did affect her, it had a Jekyll and Hyde sort of affect.

"You could see paranoia, depression. Another time just funny, wanting to laugh all of the time, get everybody up doing something - up and down all of the time.

"It started to get to her brain a bit."

Miss Ward, a former Burntwood School student, was at home with her partner Marc Fairfield and 14-year-old son on December 31 when she inhaled two bottles of butane.

She collapsed and fell backwards, which resulted in her death later that evening in St George's Hospital, Tooting.

The post-mortem report found the cause of death was a cardiorespiratory arrest, brought on by the effects of inhaling a volatile substance.

The coroner, Dr Fiona Wilcox, recorded her death was the result of dependence on drugs.