A BRAVE pensioner, who tackled a sneak thief in her home, forced him to drop a vital clue to his identity.

The thief left a bag of videos after being challenged by the pensioner.

The 80-year-old womanwas in her house in Meriton Road, Handforth, when the burglar sneaked in through a side door last Thursday.

After stealing money from her purse in the kitchen, the crook made his way into her living room ,where the elderly women confronted him.

A spokesman for Wilmslow CID, said: "This is clearly a case of someone preying on an elderly victim - a despicable and cowardly act.

"He initially pretended to be a tradesman, but was not believed.

"The elderly householder challenged the man and attempted to restrain him, but he escaped and ran away.

"As a result of the struggle he left behind a white plastic carrier bag in which were three VHS video tapes.

"The tapes may assist in establishing the identity of the offender."

The tapes appear to be from a video rental shop or library and each have a thin white sticker with a printed bar code on.

They are 'The Lord of The Rings' BRE00624886R, 'Flawless' HEG01024149 and 'Monster' HEG00646293R.

Police want to hear from anyone who recognises these tapes or serial numbers and could provide a clue as to the identity of the burglar.

He is described as a white male, 6 ft tall of slim build and mousey brown hair and was wearing a navy blue waterproof jacket with zip and blue jeans.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Mike Frith or Roger Grainger from Macclesfield CID Safer Homes Team on 01244 613431.