A grandmother has spoken of her terror after a man posing as a gardener followed her into her home and violently pushed her over to rob her of £500.

Alice Sutton, 84, who lives in Staplehurst, was pushed to the floor in her bedroom after the thief grabbed the cash and ran off with it.

The pensioner was at her home around 1pm last Tuesday when she received a knock at her door.

She said a man wearing an orange baseball cap asked if she wanted the hedges in her front and back garden trimmed.

He then claimed a man named Jimmy had sent him round, but Alice didn't know who Jimmy was.

She declined his offer of cutting the hedges but agreed to have other work done to the front garden for a price of £40.

Alice also said the man tried to get £70 out of her after the work was done, but she refused and eventually he agreed to be paid £40 for the work.

At that point the pensioner went upstairs to get the cash from her purse, but the man followed behind and once in her bedroom he pushed her over and took the contents of the purse which amounted to £500.

Alice was not seriously injured but did suffer a slight injury to her face as she fell.

The pensioner who has more than 10 grandchildren said: "I was terrified, I didn't know who to call first, I was shaking from head to toe.

"I keep going over it in my mind, I haven't been sleeping properly since really.

"I was terrified, I didn't know who to call first, I was shaking from head to toe..."

"Somehow I got down the stairs and I saw him running up the road, but I couldn't run after him.

"Some people round the front say they saw a man at the nearby Spar car park skidding off in his car, so it might of been him."

Alice is well-known figure in the village as she used to run the Railway Tavern when it was open. It has since been closed down.

The pensioner was at the hospital until midnight on the night of the incident getting checked over and having her injury seen to.

Since then there's been an out-pouring of support from the nearby community and a GoFundMe page was set up for her which has now raised more than £1,000.

Alice added: "I was surprised by it, it just goes to show there are good people around.

"I've got the chain across the door now, and the money from the donations will go towards security cameras being installed at my home."

"My son, said 'mum don't worry about the money lost, just as long as you're alright, it could've been a lot worse'."

A spokesman for police confirmed officers are investigating the incident.

The spokesman added: "Kent Police called at 1.50pm on Tuesday July 5 to an address in Staplehurst.

"It is reported a man entered the property and stole money from an elderly victim, who was assaulted.

"The victim did not suffer any serious injuries, an investigation is ongoing and at this stage no arrests have been made."