FUNERAL directors Lilleywhites received the shock of their lives when they got a message, from inside the chapel of rest.

After staff locked up the premises in Bury Old Road, Prestwich, for the weekend the last thing they expected was a telephone call from inside.

But grieving customer Julie Foster, who was visiting her deceased mother, Audrey, for one last time, had been accidentally locked in the building with her mum's coffin.

The 42-year-old had called in to the family-run funeral directors just after lunchtime to pay her final respects .

She spent 15 minutes in the chapel of rest in quiet contemplation before realising she was all alone.

Miss Foster said: "When I arrived it was quite noisy as there was a family there with some children. Then it went quiet, but I suddenly realised it wasn't meant to be so quiet. There wasn't any noise at all."

Miss Foster, who lives in France, tried the funeral parlour's main front door but it was locked from the outside. She ventured into the office and found a business card with an out-of-hours contact number for Lilleywhites which she rang.

She went on: "I can see the funny side now and they were apologetic but at the time it was very unnerving."

Lilleywhites said that apologies had been made to Miss Foster but declined to comment further about the incident.