Wanda Robson, of Welland, Peterborough, says her nightmare began around March time when letters kept arriving from a string of retail shops after someone took store cards out in her name and spent thousands on them.

She spoke out today in the hope that her horrific experience will prompt residents to take extra care of their personal details and prevent their lives being ruined.

She said: "The whole experience caused me so much stress.

"When it was going on I felt sick and dreaded going home at night to open my post.

"I am a person who never gets in debt – I have a credit card, but I pay it off.

"People need to be so careful. I would advise them to lock up all their personal possessions and take extra care."

She said that at one point correspondence from retailers such as John Lewis, JJB Sports, HMV, Boots, Argos, River Island and Debenhams, as well as mobile phone companies, was landing on her door mat nearly every day.

She added: "The only good thing was that I had taken out insurance against personal identity theft with a company called CPP. The company was brilliant, they wrote to the companies which had contacted me and worked to restore my credit rating.

"I don't know what I would have done without them."

CPP said that £17,000 to be taken off one person was a large amount.

Communications manager Nick Jones said: "Identity theft can be complicated to deal with. You don't always know exactly when it started or when it is going to end.

"It can also be extremely stressful."

He said that each complaint takes about 60 hours worth of work to resolve, although, in Miss Robson's case, it would have taken more time, and that crooks were getting more and more daring and using the stolen identity to get their hands on more and more different things such a credit cards, store cards and loans.

Detective Inspector Dave Murphy urged people to take extra care with their personal details.

He said: "The best thing people can do is destroy letters with their personal information on them as criminals have been known to go through bins to get them.

"You can buy small shredders for about £10. Identity theft can be incredibly stressful for the victims who almost feel as if their life has been invaded."

He said that identity theft can be connected with organised crime.