A woman from Norfolk has died after she was stung by a wasp at a bar in Spain.

Ingrid Dale, originally from Dereham, is believed to have gone into anaphylactic shock after she was stung at the bar in the coastal town of Moraira, half an hour north of Benidorm.

The 67-year-old expat died in an ambulance outside the Hill Top Sports Bar just after 2pm on Monday, May 10, after going into cardiac arrest before she could be taken to hospital.

Ingrid was less than one month away from her 68th birthday.

A spokesman for the Civil Guard said: “Officers attended the restaurant where the incident occurred after a British woman aged 67 was stung by a wasp.

“She was being assisted by emergency medical responders on the restaurant terrace when they arrived.

“She was subsequently transferred to an ambulance where she died after going into cardiac arrest.

“A doctor certified her dead around 3pm local time on Monday."

Police and paramedics rushed to the British-run bar and restaurant where Monday afternoon’s tragedy occurred but confirmed emergency responders were unable to save the British expat.

The results of the autopsy, believed to have been carried out on Tuesday, May 10, are not expected to be made public, as is customary in Spain.

The most severe reactions to wasp stings are referred to as anaphylaxis.

It occurs when your body goes into shock in response to wasp venom.

A source close to the ongoing investigation into Ingrid’s death, which is now being coordinated by a local court as part of routine procedure, said ahead of the post-mortem: “It appears she went into anaphylactic shock but it will be up to a forensic expert during an autopsy to confirm this.”

Following the news, friends and well-wishers spoke of their heartbreak over widowed Ingrid’s death.

Among them was the owner of the Hill Top Sports Bar and eyewitness, Gary Bowden.

He said: "It's just tragic.

"It was a freak accident after she was stung by a wasp and reacted in a horrific way.

"All of the staff, the police and ambulance crews did everything possible, but there was nothing that could be done to help her. Our thoughts are with her family."

A foreign office spokeswoman said: "We are supporting the family of a British woman who has died in Spain."