Man stranded for four days inside club's lavatory

A retired schoolteacher has spoken of how he became trapped for four days in the lavatory of his local bowling club. David Leggat, who is a regular customer at Abberdeen's Kittybrewster and Woodside Bowling Club, walked into the lavatory on Monday, when the door slammed behind him and became jammed.

Cut off from the outside world with no access to any sustenance other than water, Mr Leggat had to wait for four nights in the bitter cold before Cathay Scollay, the club's cleaner, heard his cries for help and sounded the alarm.

Mr Leggat, 55, who regularly spent evenings at the club, where he is the wine convenor, knew he had little chance of being found quickly because the bowling club only opens occasionally in the winter.

The retired English and history teacher said: "I had nothing with me to eat, so I sipped cold tap water to keep me going."

As the cold settled in at night, Mr Leggat kept himself warm by dipping his feet in warm water from the toilet's taps. "I did a survival course once and knew I had to keep my feet warm, so I kept running a basin of hot water and putting my feet in to send the heat through my body," he said.

Ms Scollay only discovered Mr Leggat because her cleaning equipment is kept in the men's lavatory. She said: "I put on the light as normal, pushed the door and just heard a voice shouting at me, 'you can't get in here, I have been locked in here for four days'. I just couldn't believe it Nothing ever happens here, just bowling."

Mr Leggat, meanwhile, was philosophical about his marathon stint in the lavatory. "At least there was a toilet to use," he said, saying he felt no ill-effects after the ordeal. "The only thing I regret is not getting trapped behind the bar."