An elderly woman died of hypothermia after being trapped in her airing cupboard following a catastrophic series of events as she tried to fix a leaking pipe.

Police believe Annie Mitchell, 81, could have been trapped for up to two days before she was found at her home in Pennywell Lane, Cutteslowe, Oxford.

Although coroner Nicholas Gardiner heard yesterday that pathologists first thought she might have died in suspicious circumstances, it was more likely she had fallen unconscious -- soaked with water and exhausted.

Avid gardener Mrs Mitchell, who was described as a reclusive and eccentric woman, was found by police in February 2002, when they accompanied housing officer David Scholes to break into her one-bedroom bungalow, after neighbours became concerned.

Mr Scholes said: "There was water all over the place and a lady's body had been found in the airing cupboard."

Home office pathologist Dr Nicholas Hunt said he initially thought fresh bruises on Mrs Mitchell's arms might have been inflicted by another person, because there was no disease which could have caused her death.

But tests showed she had died of hypothermia. Det Sgt Ian Richings, of Oxford police, investigated the scene three days after she was discovered and, as a former plumber, presented a picture of what had happened.

When she found the leak, she had turned off the stop cock under the kitchen sink, but had realised the water would continue to pour through the airing cupboard pipe because it was coming from a 10-gallon tank in the loft.

A broom had been wedged in the attic hatch-way, but Det Sgt Richings suggested it was unlikely Mrs Mitchell had been able to climb up.

He said dents in the pipe and plasterwork, which matched the heel of a shoe found in the airing cupboard, suggested she had tried to hammer the pipework flat to block the water.

He said: "This wouldn't have stopped a leak. She would have been absolutely saturated and exhausted at this point.

"The water would have caused the door to close, because it was on a self-close hinge, and would have soaked into the carpet and the bottom of the door, causing it to expand and stick.

"I found no indication that any third party was involved because all the doors were closed, and through talking to the neighbours."

After the inquest, Det Sgt Richings said it was unknown how long Mrs Mitchell had been trapped, but it could have been one or two days.

Mr Gardiner said Mrs Mitchell had died of hypothermia, and recorded a verdict of accidental death.