TWO men posing as water engineers tricked their way into a house in Chipping Norton and stole property from a bedroom.

At 2.45pm on Tuesday two men went to the door of a property just off Cornish Road and told the elderly owners they were checking for water leaks in the area.

The callers entered the house and one man showed them a pool of water in the kitchen, before asking them to run the taps and flush the toilet. Whilst this was taking place, the second man searched the house and took belongings from the bedroom. The men then left apologising and saying they would visit the neighbours to make further checks.

The first man who spoke to the owners is white, 5ft 8in, aged 30-35, clean shaven, wearing jeans and a dark jumper. He has an English accent. The second man was 6ft, aged 30-35 and wearing jeans with a dark top.

In a separate incident a man who tricked his way into the home of a 90-year-old victim in North Way, Steventon, at midday on Tuesday.

The man said he was there to check the taps in the kitchen. He persuaded the woman to wait in the bathroom while he did so. The woman waited for a long time and finally returned to the kitchen to find the man gone and her watch missing.

The offender is white, aged between 20 and 30 and 5ft 3in. He is slim, with short dark hair and was clean shaven. He was wearing a dark coloured T-shirt and dark trousers.

  • Anyone with information is asked to contact the 24-hour Police Enquiry Centre on 0845 8 505 505. Alternatively, if you don't want to talk to police or give your name, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.