A £5000 reward has been offered to find those responsible for robbing a Dudley pensioner of her life savings in a terrifying raid on her home.

Betsy Malpass, aged 83-years-old, tragically died just days after the horrifying burglary at her home in Kate's Hill.

The charity Crimestoppers is now offering a reward of up to £5,000 for information about the burglary which took place on Friday February 8, when four intruders tricked their way into the pensioner’s home at around 3pm by pretending to be from a water company.

During the ordeal, Betsy was forced to sit on a chair while her mobile phone was put under a running tap.

She was forced to watch as her entire life savings were stolen.

Police believe the offenders arrived and left in a black Audi S-Line car. The suspects are all described as white men and one is thought to be in his mid-twenties and around 5ft 10ins tall, with a chubby face. He was wearing a black hat and scarf, police say.

The following weekend Betsy was taken to hospital, but despite the best efforts of hospital staff and medics she sadly died three days later. A post-mortem found there was no link between the burglary and her death, but her final days were dominated by the trauma of her ordeal.

A major investigation was launched and a number of lines of enquiry, including CCTV and witness interviews, have already been followed up.

A spokesperson for Crimestoppers charity, Gary Murray said: "This burglary ended with terrible consequences after a wonderful older lady died. She had suffered a horrendous ordeal in her own home, where she had lived independently.

"Her last days were dominated by the stress of this robbery and the loss of all of her life savings.

“Footage captured by CCTV shows cars that were in the area at the time. These people may have witnessed something significant and we are keen that they come forward and tell us what they know."

Anyone with information should contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.