The family of Richard Clarke said they feared they would never know the reason behind the pensioner's murder after launching a fresh appeal for information.

Police, Crimestoppers officials, and the relatives of the 73-year-old handed out 1,000 flyers and posters in Eye yesterday after putting up a �10,000 reward for the arrest and conviction of his killer.

The retired thatcher, of Cranley Green Road, Eye, was the victim of an assault in the driveway of his home 15 months ago, which resulted in a fatal head injury.

His family has decided to offer �5,000 with Crimestoppers offering the other half of the reward, in a bid to get justice for the grandfather.

Mr Clarke was assaulted after returning home from an afternoon at the Horseshoes Public House in Billingford, near Diss. The attack happened either that evening, Friday August 21 last year, or the early hours of the following day.

His daughter Lisa Clarke said the last 15 months had been 'horrendous' for the family and the worst thing was not knowing why the pensioner was killed.

'We just do not know and I do not know if we will ever know even if they bring to justice the person that did it. People should have come forward, but with the bait of a bit of money, it will give someone a reason to phone in.'

'We are doing everything we possibly can to bring to justice the perpetrator of this crime rather than leaving doors open that we want closed. He did not fulfil his dreams and he still had things he wanted to do and places he wanted to go,' she said.

Det Chief Insp Neil Luckett, of the Norfolk and Suffolk Major Investigation Team, said he believed someone in the north Suffolk town had information that could provide the missing piece of the jigsaw in the murder investigation.

'It does get forgotten by the public, but not by the family. At the end of this it is a family who have lost a father and a grandfather and they need to know what has happened and they never forget,' he said.

Contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or Suffolk Police 01473 613500.