A widow is facing deportation after caring for her terminally ill husband who died in her arms last month.

Jim Burton from Great Barugh near Malton lost his fight against lung cancer three weeks ago and was nursed day and night by his devoted Israeli wife Roni.

Since his death 49-year-old Roni has been left without a penny and is likely to lose the roof over her head as well as the husband she loved.

Speaking on her behalf, Ryedale Citizens Advice Bureau lawyer Fran Bremner said Roni was entitled to stay in the UK when they wed two years ago but failed to understand complex immigration rules when they left the country to visit Israel before her husband's death.

A mix-up with their visa on returning meant they applied for the incorrect legal papers giving her permission to stay temporarily as a visitor, not as the wife of a British citizen.

Fran said: "Roni has been left in a terrible situation and with the death of her husband we are now faced with making an application for indefinite leave in the UK outside of the rules.

''She will have to find £750 to put the application form to the Home Office.

In the meantime she is not allowed to claim benefits and he has nothing to live on.

''She is likely to lose her home and she has no money to pay for rent, council tax, gas, electricity or water bills. Jim had no money to leave her, not even to pay for his funeral."

Their romance began 20 years ago when they were both working in London, but at the time they were both married to other people.

Then three years ago, out of the blue, the 66-year-old tracked Roni down in Tel Aviv following the death of his first wife.

After a whirlwind romance the pair tied the knot in March 2005 and at the time she had leave to stay in the UK legally. A year later he was struck down with terminal lung cancer, but the recent trip to Israel meant she only had permission to stay as a visitor for a few months.

Fran added: "By the time we were making an application for Roni to remain in the UK for longer than the six months she had been given, James had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. Her application for leave to remain outside the rules was rejected, but the Ryedale CAB made representations against refusal on the basis that surely the Government didn't really expect the only carer of a terminally ill husband to leave the UK for an unspecified length of time, not knowing whether she would be allowed to return."

After pleading with officials she was finally given 12 months to stay - which runs out next month.

Despite the heartbreak of losing her husband she remained strong through friends in the village and the support of local Macmillan nurse, Janet Calvert, who helped to care for Jim.

Fran added: "Janet has been a rock to Roni and went above and beyond her role as a nurse. Roni has been left with nothing and Janet even helped her to buy a new bed. ''Thankfully a local charity was able to pay for their funeral tea but we hope there are more kind people that will lend her support so she can keep body and soul together through this most terrible ordeal.

''As well as losing the husband she loved, she faces destitution. She left her home in Israel for her new life in the UK, which has now been turned upside down."

The Gazette & Herald attempted to contact the Home Office but had not received a reply at the time of going to press.