At 1.50pm on December 30, an elderly Poplar View occupant was tricked into allowing three men into her home after they claimed to represent a utilities company and asked to check her water supply. The householder later discovered money missing from her handbag.

Minutes later an elderly neighbour on the same road saw two scruffy looking young men pull up outside her home in a blue Ford Mondeo before entering her conservatory through an unlocked door.

They knocked on an internal door and asked to be let in, claiming they needed to fix a burst water pipe, but the pair left when the resident refused access.

Police now believe one elderly resident was targeted twice in a matter of days, but suspicious of their intentions refused access.

The suspects are described as white, short and aged in their 20s. They were travelling in a blue Ford Mondeo and wearing dark clothing.

The digital image (pictured) shows a man believed to be in his late teens, about 5ft 4in tall with light coloured short hair and an 'outdoor' dirty complexion. He was wearing a rusty coloured bobble hat covering his ears and a dark-coloured three-quarter length heavy duty material collared buttoned jacket.

Det Insp Nigel Sawyer said: "This is a despicable crime against elderly people. I would urge anyone with any information to contact us and I would also appeal to people to look out for elderly neighbours and report any suspicious callers to the police.

"We believe the men may have used a blue-coloured Ford Mondeo car, and would appeal to anyone who saw such a vehicle in Pollington village at the time or has seen such a vehicle and occupants in the villages in Yorkshire today or in recent days to contact police."

Residents are urged to check the identity cards of all doorstep callers, confirm their details by contacting the company they claim to represent and only let callers in once absolutely sure they're genuine.
Anyone with information about this incident should contact police on 0845 6060222, quoting log 274 of 30/12/09.