A family has claimed a pensioner who died two days after police tried to break into her home was literally "scared to death".

Ethel Robinson, 99, of West Green, Crawley, was in bed when officers forced their way through the front door of her block of flats at midnight on March 29.

Son-in-law Leslie Flanagan, 75, said the great grandmother was left "petrified" by the ordeal, and died less than 48 hours later.

He said: "I'm sure the trauma of that night killed her. She was scared to death."

Mrs Robinson, of Albany Road, spent March 29 with Mr Flanagan and her daughter Margaret, 70, also of West Green.

She started to complain of chest pains and Mr Flanagan said he called for a standby doctor at about 3pm.

When no doctor had arrived by 7pm, the Flanagans put Mrs Robinson to bed and went home.

Mr Flanagan said: "Ethel said she was feeling a bit better and we put her to bed and told her to contact us if she felt ill again."

But when the couple, who live in The Dingle, returned the next day, they found the front door swinging open and shattered glass on the floor.

They thought there had been a burglary and phoned police, only to be told officers had forced the door open the previous night.

They discovered a doctor had arrived at Mrs Robinson's house just before midnight, by which time the pensioner was in bed.

After getting no response the doctor called police, who forced open the door to help him gain entry.

Mr Flanagan said: "I can't believe the doctor turned up at midnight. What a time to call on an old lady. No lights were on and she was asleep."

A Sussex Police spokesman confirmed officers were called to the house at 11.55pm. They rang the doorbell and knocked on the door before trying to rouse neighbours to see if anyone had a key.

He said they also tried to contact Mr Flanagan but had no success.

The spokesman said: "After careful consideration, police concluded Mrs Robinson may still be inside the house but in an ill state or worse.

"Police used their legal powers to force entry to the house to assist the doctor, who was requesting assistance to examine a patient.

"The first door was carefully opened with little fuss but police then discovered a second door which was more difficult to open.

"Following an attempt to enter the second door, a voice was heard from within the house.

"The officers said who they were, why they were there and that they had the doctor with them but Mrs Robinson told them to go away, refusing to believe them.

"The doctor said if Mrs Robinson didn't wish to see him he couldn't force her to have a check-up."

Mrs Robinson was taken to Crawley Hospital on March 30 and died the following morning.

A spokesman for Crawley Primary Care Trust said the organisation was concerned at the circumstances surrounding the death of Mrs Robinson and had called for an investigation.

The police spokesman added the two officers at the scene were very upset after hearing of Mrs Robinson's death and had asked for their deepest sympathies to be passed on to the family.