An 87-year-old woman who was trapped in her bath for three days and who survived by topping up the hot water and drinking from the tap, was rescued after she failed to turn up to a local cafe for her usual slice of cake and glass of wine.

Doreen Mann who had unsuccessfully been calling for help for days after she found herself unable to get up, was rescued when waitress Sonia Congrave became concerned that the regular customer had not come into the cafe where she works.

Ms Mann goes to Tomassi's coffee shop and ice-cream parlour in Southend, Essex, every day of the week except for Sundays and Tuesdays for a meal, a slice of apple pie and a glass of wine.

However, when she failed to show up one Saturday and again on the Monday, a concerned Ms Congrave alerted the police.

"I still can't believe it happened and thank God I survived," said Ms Mann recounting her ordeal.

"I do not know how I did it. I mean I just couldn't get out of the bath and I was there from Friday morning until Monday morning.

"The peculiar thing was I always hang my dressing gown on the boiler door but this time I hung it on the door which is right by the bath.

"Because I did I used that as a make shift cover. That is the only thing I had but thank goodness I had that and the towel.

"At the time I thought 'I have got to keep calm', but when I look back I just do not know how I did it.

"I am lucky I am sitting here. It was frightening in a sense because I didn't know how long I would be stuck there."

When police arrived at the retired hairdresser's home they could hear her calling for help and found her wrapped up in her dressing gown in the bathtub.

Ms Mann had been stranded in the bathtub from 9.30am on Friday, October 7, and was finally rescued on Monday, October 10.

Ms Mann,  who's only family is a cousin who lives in Chelmsford, described the 39-year-old as "like a daughter", adding: "Right from when I first met Sonia I always nicknamed her as my adopted daughter."

Ms Congrave praised the pensioner, saying: "She is a really strong woman - all she wanted afterwards was her cake and a cup of tea."

In a bid to try and avoid any future disasters Ms Mann told how the mother-of-two has promised to buy her a mobile phone "because of me being upset in the bath all those days".