A WIDOW has spoken of her distress after burglars stole her late husband’s wedding ring and valuable keepsakes from their courtship.

Anne Howard, of The Street, Tendring, said the burglars had even rifled the casket containing her husband’s ashes looking for valuables.

They made off with a haul of jewellery and cash worth £2,000, though the sentimental value of the jewellery made it “irreplaceable”, she said.

Mrs Howard lost her husband John to cancer two years ago, aged 67, after 44 years of marriage.

After he died, she took the ring from his body and kept it on a bedside table to remember him by.

She said: “If only these people realised just what they did, coming around your home.

“You lose your husband to cancer, and watch him dying, and then a reminder which is so treasured is gone, too.”

She hopes if the thieves try to sell the jewellery, someone may recognise several distinctive items, including the gold wedding ring, which was extremely big.

The thieves also took a silver Rolex watch given to Mr Howard by his sister, Lillian, and inscribed on the back to mark his 21st birthday, in 1962.

They also used Mrs Howard’s green bowls bag to carry off the stolen items.

Police are keen to trace a man seen walking down the driveway of the house at about 3pm.

He walked to Crown Lane, where he waved as if to flag down down a car, before walking out of sight. He was white, more than 6ft tall, muscular, and clean-shaven with short, light brown hair.

The man wore a blue bomber jacket, light-coloured jeans and a white baseball cap with a blue badge on the front.

Police are also hoping to find the driver of a red, old-style four-door Rover which pulled on to a neighbour’s drive at about 1.30pm on Tuesday, as which they suspect it may be connected to the burglary.

Anyone who can help is asked to call Harwich police on 0300 3334444.