A 74-YEAR-OLD woman was hit on the hand with a stick and threatened when she confronted masked burglars in her Stourport home.

Police are exploring the possibility the robbery was linked to a crime spree across Stourport on Sunday morning.

The pensioner was sitting downstairs when the incident occurred at about 6.30am on Sunday in a property off Lower Lickhill Road.

After seeing two men open the patio door and crawl along the floor, she asked what they were doing and they demanded she handed money over.

When she went for the phone she was hit across the hand with a stick and threatened by both men.

While one of the men searched the house, the other held an object to the victim's face, which a Kidderminster police spokeswoman said could have been a knife.

The offenders, who were described as tall and thin, were both wearing balaclavas.

One was wearing a blue sweatshirt with writing on the front, while the second wore a light t-shirt and dark clothing.

They stole the woman's handbag but threw it away in her garden after taking out cash and credit cards.

Acting detective sergeant Mike Allen said: "There were two other burglaries in the same area that morning and we are looking at the possibility that they were linked.

"The first was at an address off Lower Lickhill Road at about 6am, when a 64-year-old man disturbed two men who were in his garage.

"The two men had walked into the garage through an open door but, once disturbed, left empty-handed."

He said the second incident occurred at an address off Pearl Lane in Stourport between 4am and 7am, when a 48-year-old woman noticed that her Audi TT had been stolen after her handbag had been taken.

"It appears that the offenders walked into the woman's conservatory and took the bag, which contained the keys to the car," he said.

"The car was found in just a few roads away in Bredon Way and we are appealing for anyone who may have seen this car being abandoned to contact us."

He urged anyone with information to contact him on 08457 444 888.