A PINT-sized pensioner who fought off two burglars with her walking stick said: "I'm 91-years-old. They should be ashamed of themselves for preying on old ladies."

Great-grandmother Mary Dootson was watching The Weakest Link gameshow on television when the two men walked into her living room on Wednesday evening.

The quick-thinking 5ft 2in former wartime crane driver managed to call 999 before hitting one of them twice in the face with her stick.

She then began screaming and pushed him and his accomplice towards the kitchen door. They jumped through an open window above the sink and escaped empty-handed.

Widow Mrs Dootson, who has three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, said: "I don't feel brave. I was very frightened, but I knew I had to do something. They looked like nice quiet young men. They weren't scruffy. I'd have had nothing to lose if I'd have killed them."

The two men, who were white and in their 20s, prised open the kitchen window of Mrs Dootson's bungalow in Thorn Well, Westhoughton, just before 6pm.

They climbed inside, unscrewed the kitchen lightbulb and searched through the wardrobe and drawers in her bedroom before walking into her living room.

Mrs Dootson, who was a textile worker for many years and operated a crane at an aircraft factory during the Second World War, was sitting in her armchair when they walked in.

She said: "I told them 'get out, get out' but the men didn't move. I phoned the police and picked up my stick."

Mrs Dootson told police that one of the men, whom she described as "the boss", was about 5ft 7in tall and well-spoken. The other, who was about the same height, hardly said a word. Today she warned other pensioners against keeping money at home: "I don't keep money at home. Nobody else should either."

Det Con Gary Davidson, from Astley Bridge CID, said: "This was a particularly terrifying incident for an elderly woman in her own home. She feared for her safety and defended herself. We would never advise members of the public to put themselves in danger and this lady was very lucky the men did not retaliate."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Astley Bridge CID on 0161 856 5740 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.