Burglars target old folk

Police are linking two distraction burglaries that happened within an hour of each other at the homes of old people.

Two men claiming to be from the water

board first went to the home of a couple, he 95 and she 83, on Charles Street, Newark, arriving at 4.30pm on Monday.

They were allowed in, but the husband asked them to show identity cards and the men fled when he said he was going to ring the police.

One of the men is white, with fair hair, slim, wearing a beige top or cardigan.

The second is white, stocky and aged in his early 20s and was wearing a white top.

Both had strong accents that made them difficult to understand.

At 5.30pm, what is believed to be the same two men, arrived at the home of an 88-year-old woman on Morgans Close, Coddington.

They knocked, and this time showed identification. They told the woman that dye was being flushed through the water system and she needed to turn the tap on and leave it running until the dye flowed through.

One of the men stayed with the woman while the other went upstairs and stole £20-£50 from her purse, which was in her bedroom.

The woman described one of the men as white, 5ft 4ins tall, of average build with fair hair and about 24. He was wearing jeans and a jacket.

Inspector Martin Holford said the recollections of the victims were slightly different but that the crimes were being linked because of their similarities.

Anyone with information about the identity of the culprits or who may have seen them should call Detective Sergeant Rick Jones or Detective Constable Steve Hines at Newark CID on 01636 605999.