A disabled great-grandmother has had her passport and purse stolen from her Dagenham home while she was left helplessly gasping for air, but the police are not investigating.

Irene Robinson, 88, of Blackbourne Road, Dagenham, suffers from back problems and struggles to walk.

Feeling faint on Friday, April 7, she went to open her front door for a breath of fresh air at about 4pm.

Suddenly overcome by weariness, the great-grandmother-of-33 put her chain on the door, leaving it slightly ajar, and stumbled back on to a seat.

When she came-to the door was wide open and her bag, which contained her mobile phone worth £400, passport, and purse containing £60, had been taken.

Although police were called to the scene, no arrests have been made and officers are not pursuing the case.

“A lot of people don’t feel older and disabled people matter as much,” Irene told the Post.

“I’m really scared because this could definitely happen again.

“We need someone that really cares about Dagenham and its people and who can offer us better protection.”

A spokesperson for the police said: “After investigating the circumstances, speaking to a witness and checking for all evidential opportunities, a decision was taken that there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the investigation.”