An 88-year-old woman suffered a heart attack after bravely jumping on a burglar's back as he and two accomplices stole money from her house.

The woman was traumatised soon after taking on the three burglars who had conned their way into her flat.

Last Tuesday, a man knocked on the door of her home in King Charles Road claiming to work for the water board.

After letting him inside, the woman went with him into her kitchen where he bent down to look at the U-bend at the sink. Police believe he then loosened one of the pipe joints causing water to gush on to the floor.

The woman quickly became flustered and when she looked through her kitchen door, she saw two more men coming out of her bedroom holding a large soft toy that they had taken from her bed. The toy, a white fluffy dog which doubled as a nightdress holder, contained about £3,000 in cash.

When the woman saw the two men, she jumped on the burglar's back in the kitchen.

There was a brief struggle, during which the woman was thrown to the floor. The three men then ran out the flat clutching the soft toy.

The woman managed to call 999 and was taken to hospital suffering from high blood pressure and shock. She had a heart attack in hospital two days later, but is now recovering well.

The three men are all described as white and in their mid-twenties. One was wearing a thick coat and had a distinctive round face. Anyone with any information about the burglary should contact DC Goodman at Kingston Police on 020 8247 4946.