ON Sunday March 22, I went to visit my favourite place, Durdle Door on the Jurassic Coast of Dorset.

Parking fees are £7 regardless of how long you plan to stay, so I parked on the verge of the road outside alongside many other vehicles and then I walked the extra mile.

When I returned to my car, a few hours later, someone had used a screwdriver to force the passenger window frame & smash the glass so that they could steal my handbag which was on the floor.

I went into a rigid kind of shock as I realised that life would be rather difficult without the contents of my handbag.

Once the glass had been cleared from the seats I drove home and reported the incident to the police and my bank.

Today Monday March 23 the full effects of this violation are hitting me like rolling thunderclaps.

I will have to pay the first £100 in “excess” on the car repairs.

I will lose my no claims bonus for two years.

There was £100 in savings tucked away in that handbag, to go towards the road tax, due at the end of March - as well as £10 in cash in the purse.

My “personal items” insurance only covers £100.

So the handbag itself, purse, camera, mobile phone and other sundry items are not covered.

To replace my home locks will cost another £150 pounds (yep, my house keys went too).

To replace my driving licence - another £20.

To replace my bus pass - another £7.

Mobile phone? Camera? Probably at least another £100.

And I am sure the list will grow.

The thunderclap initiated by those selfish thieves will take me, a pensioner, months of financial cut-backs and scrimping to recover from - while they have probably spent the cash and tossed the rest in the trash and right now they are searching for their next victim.

NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED