A WIDOWER has hit out at a clairvoyant medium who wrote to his wife prophesying love, luck, money and good fortune - two months after she died.

Tom Berry, who received the eight-page letter yesterday, was left upset and angry by the correspondence.

He said: "She claims to be a clairvoyant medium but if she is supposed to be so good, why is she writing to a dead person? This is insensitive and terrible."

The letter claimed Charlotte Berry would receive large influxes of money, had love on the agenda, would have a mystery encounter and that her life would open up in front of her.

But Mrs Berry died aged 68 on August 7 from pneumonia in Blackburn's Queens Park Hospital after a long period of illness.

Her husband, 67, of Birch Hall Avenue, Darwen, said: "These people must be charlatans and they need to be exposed for what they really are.

"This is a very upsetting time. Reading a letter talking about my wife's future has really upset me."

Trading Standards today said the number of 'psychic scares' was on the increase but there was currently no effective mechanism for people to stop them.

A spokesman said: "Psychic scares, as we call them, are a growing problem. People are quite often working with old mailing lists and they are sending them to everyone they can get a handle on.

"They often target by age or people who have previously responded to similar mail.

"We would advise people not to respond to them at all. Many of these people are entirely fictitious and any testimonials are bogus."

Anyone receiving such letters should send them to Trading Standards, 58-60 Guild Hall Street, Preston, PR1 3NW or call a helpline on 0845 600 1352.