FELIXSTOWE, England, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- A British grandmother locked in a public restroom for four days said she kept warm using a hand dryer and passed the time by knitting a scarf.

Gladys Phillips, 82, said she was out shopping in Felixstowe, England, when she made a pit stop in a public restroom that she didn't realize was not yet open to the public.


Phillips said she soon discovered the door had locked behind her, trapping her inside the restroom. "I was not really concerned at first when I couldn't get out," Phillips told the Suffolk Gazette. "In fact I was just relieved I'd managed to go to the loo!"

"I kept banging on the door and walls, and shouting for help, but obviously no one could hear me. I realized I had to tough it out, and so I sat on the loo and began knitting. Luckily I had just been to the shops and picked up a new ball of pink wool, so I began making a scarf, which one of my lucky grandchildren will now get for Christmas. I had also popped into the sweet shop after collecting my pension, so I had a full bag of mint imperials to eat which kept my spirits up no end. The loo was very clean and cozy. I was able to sleep on my big overcoat and was lovely and warm, and if I got cold I just sat under the hand dryer for a while."

Phillips said she was trapped for four days before workman found her putting the finishing touches on her scarf.

"It was a great relief when the nice builder turned up and opened the door. He got quite a shock, I can tell you," she said.

The grandmother said she lives on her own and doesn't have a phone, so her family didn't realize she was missing.

"They have now been on at me to get a phone installed at home -- and one of these mobile phone things for when I'm out shopping. I suppose I shall have to catch up with the times," she said.

A town official told the Suffolk Gazette the incident highlights the hospitable design of the the new restrooms.

"We're glad Gladys is none the worse for her ordeal. The fact that she was quite happy in the loo for four days does, however, show how modern and hi-tech it is," the official said.