A LOYAL dog kept vigil for more than a week beside a woman who died in her Bolton home.

The 51-year-old woman was found collapsed in an armchair in her house in Union Road, Tonge Moor, with her border collie cross, Lizzie, beside her.

She was discovered by a lay preacher from Swinton and his wife who visited her home on Friday at 4.15pm. The lay preacher saw that the woman, whose name has not been released, was slumped in a chair in the lounge and police and paramedics were called.

When police arrived, Lizzie would not even let them anywhere near her owner's body. They had to drag the dog away to check the woman for any signs of life.

Police believe the woman may have died up to 10 days before she was found.

It is believed Lizzie survived by looking for scraps of food in the house and by drinking water from the toilet.

The couple usually picked the woman up on Sunday mornings to take her to church, but she missed the service last week because she was ill with a flu-type virus.

They kept phoning her to see how she was and, when they continually got no reply, they called at the house on Friday. They got no answer, but could see the dog at the window.

They called the police. The woman's death was initally treated as suspicious, but later foul play was ruled out.

It is now believed she died of natural causes. A postmortem examination is due to be carried out to find the exact cause of death.

Lizzie, who was barely able to walk, was taken to Astley Bridge police station where she was given food and water. Detectives cared for her over the weekend while the woman's next of kin were traced.

Det Chief Insp Dave Law, of Bolton CID, said: "We believe the woman had probably been dead for upwards of a week.

"Lizzie stayed at her side, probably without much food or water. She was in a bad way. She could barely walk when we found her.

"We fed her fresh chicken from Marks and Spencers and gave her plenty of water. She is now doing slightly better, but is not in a great condition.

"There were signs in the house that Lizzie had been foraging for food. She can't have survived that length of time without any water, so I think she must have stayed alive by drinking from the toilet."

Neighbour Eileen Pilkington, aged 50, said the woman never went anywhere without Lizzie.

"They were always together and she used to walk the dog around the block," she said. "The woman kept herself to herself, but seemed a very pleasant lady. She would always have a smile and she used to give sweets to the children if she saw them playing out."

"She only moved here about 18 months ago. The couple who gave her a lift to church called to ask if I had seen her. I hadn't, but I didn't think anything of it because she went away last Christmas.

"It is awful what has happened. I knew she had been ill but she was a very active woman."