AN elderly Droitwich woman has been robbed of £700 holiday savings by three men who barged into her home and held her down.

The woman fought back with her walking sticks, but was held back by one of the robbers as the other two searched her home.

It was later discovered that her phone line had been disconnected during the robbery.

South Worcestershire police say the woman had answered her door to a man at 4.15pm on Saturday.

He showed her a form of identification and said he needed to make an inspection due to an explosion near-by.

The woman dismissed the man and slammed the door.

But minutes later the same man entered her lounge, grabbed her arms and pushed her back into her chair. Two more men then appeared from the kitchen.

The victim hit the man holding her with her walking sticks but he grabbed them from her and held her in the hallway while the two others searched the house.

All three robbers fled with £700 from a handbag in the living room. The victim had withdrawn the cash from the building society the previous day.

South Worcestershire CID's Detective Sergeant Andy Price said: "This is a particularly nasty burglary that has understandably left the victim extremely shocked and shaken.

"The offenders did not simply give up when their first attempt at getting into the house was foiled - they entered anyway and physically restrained the victim as they searched her home.

"I would urge anyone who may have seen three men acting suspiciously in the area at the time to get in touch as their information could be crucial in catching these heartless individuals."

The men - who were seen getting into a silver car parked nearby were described as white and aged in their mid to late 20s. One was thin and wearing a blue long sleeved top and brown gloves. One was wearing a black suit and the third a long-sleeved white top.

Officers are linking the burglary to a similar incident in Churchill North in Redditch at 2.27 on the same day.

Anyone with information on the Droitwich incident should call Detective Sergeant Price on 08457 444 888, quoting 481/S/150907, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.