A thief has made off with more than £1,000 after stealing a grieving widow's purse and withdrawing cash from her bank account.

Retired grandmother, Anita Parkes, believes she was targeted after using a cashpoint at the branch of Barclays in Dudley town centre and says she has been left frightened to withdraw money. She believes someone watched her enter her PIN number before her purse was swiped.

Three separate transactions were swiftly made, with a total of £1,140 disappearing from her account. Mrs Parkes described the person who targeted her as 'scum of the earth'.

The 61-year-old was left devastated by the recent loss of her husband Bill, who had died of liver failure only weeks earlier. Photos of Bill were in the bag which was stolen along with a gold necklace given to her by her mother.

West Midlands Police confirmed they were investigating the theft, which happened on October 12th, and have urged anyone with information to contact them on 101.