EXTRA police patrols have been drafted on to Bolton streets as the hunt continues for the killer of an elderly widow.

Police chiefs have warned residents to be extra vigilant and make sure their properties were secure.

Mary Ellen Crank, aged 76, was discovered in a pool of blood in her semi-detached home in Kingscourt Avenue, Brownlow Fold, on Sunday lunchtime.

Detectives are now waiting the results of a post-mortem examination being carried out by a Home Office pathologist in a bid to discover the exact cause of her death.

The extra patrols have been brought in to help reassure worried residents.

The man leading the investigation, Det Supt Simon Barraclough, warned today that the inquiry was likely to be lengthy and detailed.

"It is important that we take the time to gather the evidence," he said. "There is an awful lot of work to do on forensic issues."

Detectives were also trying to trace the last movements of Mrs Crank and want to speak to anyone who saw her alive at the weekend or on Friday to contact them at the murder incident room on 0161 856 5153.

One neighbour described Mrs Crank, who has lived in the area for more than 30 years as "a very nice lady".

"I will certainly miss her. Whenever she was walking up the street or in her garden we would always have a laugh and a chat," he said.

The quiet streets around Mrs Crank's home remain sealed off today as forensic examinations continued.

Officers combed the area yesterday in the hunt for clues, climbing over garden fences and going down the sides of people's homes.

In nearby Longford Avenue, a squad from the tactical aid unit examined four homes to establish whether or not they had been used by a killer as an escape route.

Other officers from the same unit combed back alleys and side streets, while forensic teams dusted walls for fingerprints.

And as the activity continued, the head of Bolton police, Chief Supt Don Brown, deployed extra patrols to the area.

"There is bound to be a certain amount of fear," he said. "In view of these tragic circumstances, it is important to reassure the public by putting in more officers."

Neighbours said they were paying serious attention to police warnings to be vigilant.

Among the residents is the mother of the Mayor of Bolton, Cllr John Walsh, whose home backs on to Mrs Crank's house.

Mayoress Christine Walsh said: "My mother-in-law was quite taken aback by it all. She knew Mrs Crank as a neighbour, but in an old-fashioned way I think. They weren't good friends, but she's now very frightened."

The Mayor said: "The whole neighbourhood is shocked by a crime of such consequence."

Chief Supt Brown stressed that in recent months a number or police operations in the Brownlow Fold area had dramatically cut crime. This month, records showed there had been just three burglaries in the area, compared to 14 in December.