Son sues over mum's airing cupboard death in Pennal resort - BBC News
Mary Isherwood was trapped while staying in a holiday home and not found for a week.
Mary Isherwood was a keen golfer and played "almost on a daily basis," her son said

The son of a woman who died while trapped in a holiday home airing cupboard is suing the resort company.

Elizabeth Isherwood, known as Mary, died while staying at Plas Talgarth Country Club near Pennal, Gwynedd, in September 2017.

Her son Craig is seeking compensation from the holiday resort owners for negligence, saying "this should never have happened".

Macdonald Resorts said it could not comment on the "tragedy".

Mrs Isherwood, 60, from Wolverhampton, was staying alone in the family timeshare for the final time as they had agreed to sell it.

It is believed she became trapped in the airing cupboard on the night she arrived or the morning after, when she was going to the toilet. Her body was found a week later.

This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Craig Isherwood said his mother "was fit and healthy and had years of a very happy life ahead of her"

The internal doorknob disintegrated and Mrs Isherwood tried to break out of the cupboard using a piece of water pipe she had snapped off, an inquest heard.

She was sprayed with water and subsequently died from hypothermia.

Mr Isherwood, 33, said: "My mother died in the most terrible circumstances you could imagine.

"Tragically, she had made a hole big enough to climb through, but did not realise her way out was only blocked by a picture screwed to the other side of the wall.

"The legal action is not about the compensation, because how can you put a value on a life? It is about the fact that this should never have happened.

"I just want the company to admit that they made a mistake in not checking the door properly and make sure that this cannot happen to anyone else."

Mary Isherwood served as a police officer before moving into teaching and a career in the Post Office

Mr Isherwood is being represented by law firm FBC Manby Bowdler.

Associate Adam Wilson said: "This was a quite horrific tragedy. There is no amount of money which can compensate Mr Isherwood and his two children for the loss of a much-loved mother and grandmother.

"But we believe that this was a tragedy which could and should have been avoided."

A Macdonald Resorts spokesman said: "This was clearly a tragedy for Ms Isherwood and her family and our condolences go out to them.

"Given the possibility of legal action, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."