�A 93-year-old Romford woman with a heart condition was assaulted after a man pushed her into her house and stole her handbag containing �8.

Lynda Jones, 60, had returned home from visiting her mum, who lives in the same road when she had a call about her being assaulted.

She said she had been at her mum’s house only five minutes before the incident on July 19 at about 4.40pm, and had seen the man knocking on the next door neighbour’s door.

When she was leaving her mum’s house the man approached them asking if they knew about a van parked on the other side of the house.

Lynda said: “We told him to knock on one of the other doors to find out. He was knocking on the next door neighbour’s house. I was leaving, but I said to my mum not to answer the door.

“As soon as I got home the phone rang and it was my mum.

“She said the man had rang the bell, she opened the door thinking I had come back and he pushed her in. She was asking who he was and he flashed her some ID. He asked her for a cup of tea, she said no.

“He grabbed her handbag which was beside the settee. He grabbed her purse and ran out.”

Lynda praised the police, who she said arrived within 10 minutes, and installed a security camera in her home.

Lynda said: “She’s 93 and she has a heart condition – it really shook her up. Where he pushed her down he badly grazed her arm. I am absolutely disgusted and our whole family is devastated by it. Our brains can’t go where his has gone.”

He is white, 5ft 7ins with mousey hair, clean shaven, and a local accent. He was wearing a turquoise, peach and white striped shirt and light-coloured trousers.

Romford police have advised residents to be vigilant after a number of incidents involving conmen knocking on the doors of local residents offering to do gardening work to odd jobs.

They added that they often con their way into the victim’s premises and steal cash and other items.