A 71-year-old woman who had been missing for four days has been found by rescuers alive in the undergrowth at a rugby club.
Janice Warren was found entangled in a woodland area near Bream Rugby club after being reported as a missing person.
Despite torrential downpours and thunderstorms, the grandmother was alive and conscious when she was discovered in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire on Saturday.
She was found by members of the Severn Area Rescue Association (Sara) after an extensive search of the woodlands.
Land search teams had been helping police look for the missing grandmother from Friday night, when they searched until the early hours of the morning under heavy rain.
The area where search teams found the pensioner, who was last seen four days prior, has a vast underground cave system which goes under the village and surrounding woodlands.
Ms Warren went missing from Lydney, a small town in Gloucestershire, on Tuesday 13 August.
A Sara spokesperson said: “We were all delighted that she had been found alive.
“We had feared the worst as she had been missing for several days which includes some awful weather.
“It was a great result for the whole team, and really shows that all the training we do is worthwhile.”
Ms Warren was wrapped up in thermal blankets and looked after by casualty carers in the rescue team until an ambulance arrived.
Police said she was receiving medical treatment.
Granddaughter Emma Louise Skidmore thanked everybody who joined in the massive search for the pensioner.
She wrote: “We cannot thank everyone enough for all the help, shares and searching you have all given.
“We are more than grateful and over over the moon and as you can imagine extremely happy.
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and please remember that mental health is a serious thing so if at any point you see someone struggling please help.”
Additional reporting by agencies
