A HUSBAND has revealed the devastating moment his wife collapsed and died after eating a Pret a Manger wrap.

Celia Marsh, 42, was on a post-Christmas shopping trip with three of her daughters and partner Andy when she suddenly became unwell.

The mum-of-five suffered from a severe dairy allergy and "religiously avoided" all dairy products following a near-fatal allergic reaction months earlier, an inquest into her death was told.

She had eaten a super-veg rainbow flatbread from a Pret in Bath, Somerset, which had traces of dairy product in it despite being advertised as vegan.

Husband Andy told the hearing how Celia begun to feel "a bit funny" after eating the wrap and used her asthma inhaler a couple of times.

The dental nurse said she was "struggling to breathe" but believed it might have been the cold air.

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Andy explained she initially thought she was "being silly" because the sandwich had been labelled vegan.

He added: "She had her Epipen in her hand and I said to her that if she thought there was any chance she was having a reaction that she should just do it and use the pen as it doesn't matter.

"She then said to me 'You need to phone an ambulance'."

Celia collapsed in a side street and was being tended to by an off-duty GP when Andy called 999.

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She was taken to hospital but he was unable to travel in the ambulance with their three daughters so had to first overcome his shock before jumping in his car to follow.

Andy said: "When we arrived at the hospital we were taken into a side room and we were told that Celia had been pronounced dead at 4pm."

The inquest was told how a crowd formed to watch the "disturbing" scene unfold as Celia lay on the ground.

One witness told how Andy was attempting to comfort his young daughter as onlookers placed their coats over the mum to keep her warm.

However one of the paramedics said some shoppers continued to step over Celia as she was being treated on the ground.

Andy and his daughters wept on the first day of the inquest, which is expected to last for up to three weeks.

PRET DEATH

Pret was charged with food safety failures in the wake of Celia's death but the case was later dropped due to lack of evidence.

The tragedy came after 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died in 2016 after eating a Pret baguette containing sesame seeds.

Her death caused an overhaul of food labelling laws – with retailers now required to display full ingredient and allergen labelling on every food item sold.

A Pret A Manger spokeswoman said: "Our deepest sympathies remain with the Marsh family over their terrible loss and we are doing everything we can to support this inquest.

"Following Celia Marsh's death in 2017, charges were brought against Pret. The prosecution ended due to the lack of evidence and as a result, Pret was found not guilty.

"Over the past few years, Pret has established an industry-leading approach to helping customers with allergies, through the Pret Allergy Plan.

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"We will continue to do everything we can to make sure that every customer has the information they need to make the right choice for them."

The inquest continues.

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