A GRIEVING woman was left devastated and without her widow's pension after the Department of Work and Pensions told her family that she was dead.

June Paginton used to claim her pension jointly with her husband Fredrick, who died last month.

But when the great-grandmother attempted to withdraw her money from the Post Office on October 6, she was told there was nothing for her.

Daughter-in-law Patricia Paginton discovered, when she called the Department of Work and Pension’s Swansea office on her behalf, that the pension system said Mrs Paginton had died.

Mrs Paginton, 75, who lives in the Gaer in Newport and also claims benefit for disability, believes that by Monday she will be owed £384 - four weeks' worth of pension.

She said: “I’m trying to get over the trauma of losing my husband. To have this as well is making me feel really quite ill.’ "I'm not so upset about the money, but at the system which let me down when I was at a low ebb."

After the Argus contacted the department Mrs Paginton received a letter saying the money would be paid into her post office account on Friday.

A DWP spokesman said: "We would like to extend our condolences to the family and are very sorry for the distress and inconvenience this has caused.

“We have amended our records accordingly."

Mrs Paginton says she would still like to receive a written apology.

Mr Paginton, who died on September 11 at the age of 80, formerly worked at the Whiteheads Steelworks. His funeral was held on September 24 at Newport Cathedral.

The couple were together for 58 years, and had five children, 17 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren.

In the last eight years he had suffered from Alzheimer's disease and cancer. Mrs Paginton had looked after her husband at home.