A PENSIONER was forced to "jump through hoops" just to prove she is alive.

Brit Sandra Bennett, who now lives in Broadstone, spent much of her career in Germany and claims a German pension.

As part of checks to receive her pension, she must periodically obtain a signature from staff at her bank to confirm she's alive.

However, when she visited Nationwide in Broadstone recently for the signature, she was told it could no longer be provided.

The episode marked the beginning of a series of struggles for Sandra to prove she is still living.

The 67-year-old said: "It all has to be confirmed by an official body.

"I've always used the bank.

"It's a process that takes just a few seconds of someone's time - I bring in my passport and in previous years it's all dealt with very quickly."

After staff refused to sign the documents, Sandra was advised to visit her GP at the Hadleigh House Practice.

A receptionist confirmed a doctor could provide a signature, but a fee of £16.50 would be required.

Sandra said: "I'm lucky because that's something I can afford, but for some pensioners, that would be a lot of money.

"I said, 'Sorry but I'm not supporting that'. I thought, I'm going to stand up for pensioners.

"A lot of people would have felt timid and embarrassed and just paid the fee and it's not right."

Sandra then turned to her local MP, Michael Tomlinson.

At first, she emailed his office to ask for advice. However, she then received a call from Michael's assistant, who said he would be happy to sign the forms for her so she could receive her pension.

"He didn't do it for publicity - it was a very decent thing to do," Sandra said.

"I think it's very wrong for banks in particular to take advantage of pensioners and they should be ashamed of themselves."

Sandra, who previously worked as a coaching consultant for international businesses using English as a foreign language, returned to the UK from Germany three years ago.

She said: "I just felt that I needed to stand up for pensioners who might have to jump through hoops in the same way I did."