A stroke victim became stuck for almost 24 hours in a dark hospital cupboard, without food or water.

Pensioner Catherine Sutherland, 64, disappeared shortly after being admitted to Swindon's Great Western Hospital.

The �99m building opened earlier this month as a replacement for the Wiltshire town's ageing Princess Margaret hospital.

Mrs Sutherland was finally discovered in a storeroom after a search by a sniffer dog.

When you are told your mother has gone missing on a foggy, freezing night, you prepare for the worst Keith Sutherland

Her family, who say she could have died, are considering taking legal action against Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust.

The grandmother collapsed in Swindon on Friday with a suspected stroke and was taken to the hospital's accident and emergency (A&E) department.

She was seen by a nurse but within an hour had been declared missing.

Police were called in to search the area surrounding the hospital along with Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

Finally, a Search and Rescue Dog Association team was brought in and she was discovered - nearly 24 hours after going missing.

She was found in a store cupboard in a rehabilitation wing, normally closed at weekends.

Hospital bosses say they will carry out a full inquiry

Her son, Keith, a civil servant, said: "It's been absolutely hellish this weekend to be honest, it's been extremely traumatic for everyone.

"When you are told your mother has gone missing on a foggy, freezing night, you prepare yourself for the worst.

"When they found her I was just so relieved that she was alive. I couldn't believe it when they said she was found locked in a cupboard, I thought they were joking."

Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust said Ms Sutherland was examined again in A&E after being found and was admitted to the acute assessment ward.

A statement from Trust chief executive Steve Webster said her condition had not given cause for concern after the ordeal.

"We are extremely pleased that the lady has been found and very grateful to all the organisations who assisted the search.

"We will be conducting a full investigation into the circumstances."