A DISTRAUGHT widower received a letter from an insurance company addressed to his wife as he prepared to face the first anniversary of her death.

David Watkins, aged 67, from Pontypool, who nursed his wife through liver cancer, said that Monday's letter from Scottish Widows - addressed to Mair Watkins (deceased) and asking her to take out a policy - brought back traumatic memories of her illness.

Mr Watkins, from Cwm Sor Close, New Inn, said he was happily married to his second wife Mair for 18 years before the former nurse was diagnosed with liver cancer last July. Within two months, the disease had killed her at the age of 65.

A tearful Mr Watkins said: "She was a lovely, kind, sensitive woman and her death came as a huge blow to me.

"I came back from a holiday in Devon on Sunday and was just starting to get over her death when this letter came through.

"It was so upsetting and completely insensitive which brought the awful memories flooding back."

Mr Watkins said that his wife had a 20-year battle with breast cancer, and in January 2001 had been given the all-clear by doctors.

Mr Watkins said he had not made a complaint or contacted Scottish Widows because he was "too upset".

He added: "I just wanted to bring this to the public's attention to make sure that it doesn't happen to anyone else."

Paula Sutherland, media relations officer for Scottish Widows in Edinburgh, said: "We are deeply sorry for sending the letter to Mr Watkins and apologise for any distress we have caused him.

"The letter was sent out because procedures that prevent this sort of thing happening were unfortunately not followed.

"We are taking the matter very seriously to ensure that this doesn't happen again." Ms Sutherland said that approximately 400,000 letters had been sent out in the United Kingdom in a marketing campaign which contained around 100 letters addressed to people who were deceased.

She was unable to confirm whether any staff had been disciplined as a result of this mistake.