A Moray grandmother who was locked overnight in a public toilet after suffering a stroke has returned home.
Norma Webster fell ill and collapsed in the conveniences in Leys Road in Forres on July 31.
A massive search was launched for the 78-year-old, but she lay undiscovered in the toilets for 21 hours until a volunteer unlocked them the next morning.
Mrs Webster was taken to hospital, and her family feared her stroke may mean she would never speak again.
But last night, her son Martin McDonald was encouraged by the recovery she is making.
Mrs Webster settled back into her Forres home with her husband James on Friday after suffering the stroke on July 31, but will still require regular tests and check-ups.
He said: “She’s out of the hospital now, so she’s making a bit of progress. She’s starting to get a bit of speech back too but it’s
only a word here and there, it’s not really sentences yet.
“It’s still early days though so we just have to wait and see, time will tell I guess but I think she will probably progress more quickly now she’s out of hospital.
“My dad’s happy to have her back, they’ve been coping well enough so far. There’s somebody in visiting them three times a week now, which is going to be better for them.”
Emergency services launched a massive search with a helicopter and sniffer dogs to track down the Forres pensioner after she was reported missing.
Following the incident Moray Council apologised and vowed to conduct a review of the procedures involved in locking up public toilets at night.
Mr McDonald has insisted authority staff meet his mother to explain the events surrounding the incident when she’s well enough.
He said: “My mum still doesn’t remember anything about that whole day, I doubt it will come back now.
“The council has written a letter to her, I haven’t had the chance to read it yet though. They’ve also phoned me too so there’s been a bit of contact and they have made the effort but she’s not really well enough yet.”
