News

After being burgled nine times, Dame Vera Lynn decided enough was enough. The WWII 'Forces sweetheart' had extra locks installed at her home and threw her weight behind a campaign to warn others against thieves targeting pensioners.

The chirpy 90-year-old entertainer - whose career flourished in the Forties with hits like (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover - is spearheading an initiative by Crimestoppers, an independent UK-wide charity working to stop crime, and urging the elderly to guard against thieves trying to con their way into their homes.

Dame Vera called on other retirees to follow her example and step up security measures such as installing extra locks at home. "I look through the window to check whether I recognise (callers)," she says. "If I don't, I don't let them in."

"Why should these crooks take valuable things that you have worked hard all your life to have?" added Dame Vera, who now lives in East Sussex.