February 9, 2001 10:07: AN epileptic patient was found dead, face down in a ditch, after he wandered from a residential home in just a dressing gown and wellington boots.

The body of Irving Jeffrey Cooklin, 65, who was living at the National Society for Epilepsy (NSE), was found in Rickmansworth Lane, Chalfont St Peter, on Sunday morning.

And just three days later a second patient went missing from the home in Chesham Lane, Chalfont St Peter, but was found alive and well in nearby fields after staff reported the disappearance.

A search for Mr Cooklin began at around 11pm on Saturday after NSE staff noticed he had left his room.

The search, involving a police helicopter and sniffer dogs, carried on through the night but Mr Cooklin was found by a member of the public at about 8.30am the following day.

A post-mortem revealed Mr Cooklin died from natural causes.

But on Tuesday evening the police helicopter was hovering over the village again after a woman in her 40s was reported as missing from the NSE at around 5.45pm.

The woman was found safe and well a short time later but she had suffered an epileptic seizure.

Speaking of Mrs Cooklin's death, Margaret Thomas, spokesman for the NSE, said: "Obviously we are all very, very saddened by the fact that this has happened and our thoughts are with Mr Cooklin's family and friends.

"We have individual care plans for all of our residents that are reviewed continually. Mr Cooklin's plan was such that he didn't require one-to-one supervision. This was a one-off that he decided to leave the centre like this."

She added: "The centre is people's homes. People are free to come and go."

These two incidents come less than a month after a 47-year-old NSE patient received severe burns while in a smoking room.

The man later died in hospital from his injuries.