Police tonight appealed for witnesses after distraction burglars targeted two elderly people in Banbury.

At 10am on Saturday, two men called at the home of a man in his 80s who lives in Caernarvon Way, claiming to be from a water company.

They told him they needed to check his water and run blue dye through it to test it, which they never did. Instead they stole £80 in cash from his living room while he was distracted.

Soon after, at 11.15am, the same men called at the home of a woman in her 70s who lives in Gillett Close. They also told her they needed to check her water and run blue dye through it to test it. They stole £200 from her purse.

The men were seen arriving in Gillett Close in a silver car, which they parked outside the woman's house.

Both men were white and in their late 20s or early 30s.

The first was 6ft tall, has cropped, brown hair and was wearing a navy blue jumper and jeans. The other was 5ft 3in tall, slim and was wearing a hooded top and jeans.

PC Adam Taylor, at Banbury police station, said: “Can I warn local people to be on the look out for these thieves and to make sure their elderly friends, neighbours and relatives are aware of what they need to do to ensure they do not become the victims of these despicable criminals.

“These men were seen knocking on the doors of other properties in Caernarvon Way – did men matching these descriptions call at your home over the weekend? If they did, please let us know. We would also like to know more about this silver car; if you saw any suspicious vehicles in your neighbourhood, get in touch.”

PC Taylor can be contacted via the Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505.