A pensioner has told how she grappled with a burglar before he ran off down the street with jewellery spilling out of his pockets.

Margaret Allen, 72, discovered the heavily-built intruder coming down the stairs of her home in Albert Road, Canterbury.

CCTV would later show he had been in the house for ELEVEN minutes.

Mrs Allen said: “I heard a noise from upstairs and then suddenly this stranger appeared.

“I was angry more than scared and just wanted him out of my house.

“My husband Les is poorly at the moment so I just got hold of this chap and literally bundled him out of the door.

“I dialled 999 and was shouting out to neighbours for help.

“A few gave chase along with some people who had been in the cemetery, which backs onto our house.

“The last thing I saw was him running away with my jewellery falling out of his pockets.”

The burglary happened at about 5pm on Saturday after Margaret had briefly gone out to pick up litter in the cemetery and left her door open.

Her 81-year-old husband was in the house, but because of his illness was attached to a feeding tube in a separate room.

Mrs Allen, who was accommodation manager at Kent and Canterbury Hospital for 40 years, said: “When I came back in, I saw a carrier bag in the hallway which had ham, bars of chocolate and cans of lager in it.

“I thought ‘that’s odd’ because it was nothing to do with us. That’s when the burglar appeared.

“He was very well built and wearing a baseball cap and a hooded top, but didn’t have the hood up. He mumbled something and had a foreign accent. I also think he was drunk.

“When we checked our CCTV, it appeared he had been in the house for about 11 minutes, which is quite alarming.

“Afterwards, friends said I was lucky he didn’t have a knife because there was a bit of a tussle. But I didn’t think of that at the time and was more angry than frightened.”

Fortunately, among the stash dropped by the man as he fled was Mrs Allen’s engagement ring, a 40th wedding anniversary ruby ring and her laptop.

But he did escape with several watches and a much-treasured silver charm bracelet.

Mrs Allen said: “It’s of great sentimental value because the individual charms were bought by my husband over the years.

“They include a fish, a tortoise that opens to reveal a hare and a fly with a spider inside. I just hope that if it is offered for sale, someone might recognise it.”

A 29-year-old man has been charged with burglary in connection with the incident.

Jurijus Kuznecovas, of Spring Lane Canterbury, has been bailed to appear before Margate magistrates court on November 3.

Police are investigating and are asking anyone with information to call 01843 222289, quoting reference ZY/035137/16.