Elderly war veteran's health deteriorates as he and wife, of Crook, are defrauded of nearly £10,000

Eric Dunnill, 72, and his wide Biddie had the cash stolen from their TSB account over four withdrawals which took place in Malaga, Spain, and Ibiza earlier this month.

The retired father-of-two, of Crook, checked their bank balance online on May 8 to find the transactions that same day had wiped his account.

Following several unsuccessful attempts to get through to TSB, the couple finally got in touch with an operator the next day and were transferred to the bank's fraud team who assured they would hear back from them within five working days.

They are still waiting for the call.

Mr Dunnill, who served in the Royal Signals for 16 years, said: "Investing in stocks and shares is my hobby and I've never once been let down by a bank, apart from TSB.

"It's come at a time when our son is buying a house and we want to help him and now we can't.

"At the same time we're moving from here because I can't get to the car park and I'm housebound."

The fraud victim said two transactions of £3,000 had been made, followed by two others of more than £1,000 which took the pair into their £2,000 overdraft.

Mr Dunnill has suffered a number of strokes and was just recovering from the last one in November.

He was discharged from hospital in January and now says he is "worried sick" as a result of the fraud.

Mrs Dunnill, 72, said: "It's soul destroying. We're not sleeping and Eric is just getting weaker. It's left me not knowing who to trust. I feel very vulnerable. I don't think I'll ever trust a bank again."

The couple feel they have been "fobbed off" by TSB who have failed to contact them - leaving them distressed for more than a week.

Despite several calls and visits to the bank, Mrs Dunnill was told by a member of staff in Crook's TSB branch yesterday that they would get the money back.

The Northern Echo contacted TSB about Mr and Mrs Dunnill's situation but did not receive a response.