An elderly woman trapped in a north London flat survived for nearly a week by drinking water dripping from her fridge.
The 79-year-old woman, who lives alone in a flat in Holloway, fell in her kitchen and was unable to get up or call for help.
While trying to raise the alarm for six days, the pensioner managed to melt water from her freezer box to drink.
A neighbour eventually heard her banging on the wall and called police, who forced their way into her flat and found her.
Islington police officer Jo Morris said officers were upset when they found the woman, saying they had never seen anyone in such a sad state.
She told the Islington Tribune: “She was struggling for money and had very little in her flat.
“She has only had one change of clothes, little bedding and no home comforts.
“The ambulance crew and officers were upset by the way she was living – we had never seen anyone in such a sad state."
PC Morris helped organise an appeal to raise money and donations for the pensioner, gifting her a new TV to replace a hired one she had been paying for since 1994.
It was revealed that the woman had no family, was not on the radar of social services and was not registered with a GP.
