POLICE today appealed for witnesses after a group of men broke into an elderly woman's home, knocked her to the ground and stole her purse.

Police said at about 4pm last Friday, a middle-aged man called at an address in Kingsclere Road, Bicester, posing as a British Gas worker.

He entered her house and asked the 79-year-old resident questions about her monthly bills.

At 4.45pm the following day, four youths entered the woman's property through the back door. One of them pushed her over and stole her purse containing about £100.

A friend of the resident, who is aged 67, was present and confronted them, but she was also pushed over by the youth.

All four youths were aged between 16 and 18 and were wearing hooded tops with the hoods up. The youth who pushed the women is white, 6ft, skinny, with a thin face. Another is Asian, 6ft, with dark hair and a moustache.

Two other white youths waited in the hallway until they were chased off by the friend's dog.

Det Con Samantha Burley, of the Cherwell burglary team, said: "This was a nasty incident where these youths used violence against two elderly women.

"Did you see them in the area, perhaps running with their hoods up from Kingsclere Road in the direction of Fox Lane at about 5pm?

"There is a good chance the gas man' was assessing who lives at the address and any potential threat. He was quite forceful in his approach - did this man call at your home last week? If so, please get in touch.

"I also want to advise residents to make sure they check the ID of any cold callers at their home and to not let them in unless you absolutely sure who they are. Make a note of the name, number and company of anyone who does call."

Det Con Burley can be contacted via the Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505.

If you don't want to talk to police and don't want to leave your name, call the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.