Bogus water worker stole £500

The man said that there was a problem with the water pressure and that he needed to check the pipes.

He followed the woman into the kitchen and made her turn on the taps and empty the items under the sink.

The man kept walking in and out of the back door asking her to see if the water had turned blue.

The man left and the occupier noticed that the front door was shut, which had been left open. She then went upstairs and noticed her curtains were shut, the room had been searched and £500 had been stolen.

The burglary happened in Hawkins Way, Wootton, Abingdon, between 4.30pm and 4.55pm last Wednesday, but details were only released this afternoon.

The man was white, 5ft 10in tall, stocky and aged about 50 with a round face. He had short brown hair and was wearing jeans.

PC Stephen Knight said "The men responsible for this are cowards whose victims are elderly. I urge anyone who may have anything suspicious in the area at the time, to contact the police."

Anyone with any information should contact PC Knight at Abingdon police station via 0845 8 505 505, or if you do not want to talk to the police or give your name, call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.