Thief steals more than £300 of cash and valuable coins from man in his 90s on New Year's Eve

At about 11am on Saturday, a man knocked on the door of a home in Church Road, Shedfield and offered the occupant, a man in his 90s, gardening work.

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A police spokeswoman said: ‘While the victim was distracted, the man stole a tin from a table, which contained between £60 and £70 in cash and valuable coins worth approximately £250. He then left.’

The pensioner said the thief was in his 30s, 5ft 10in tall, white, with a medium to stocky build, and had mousey brown, short, mottled hair. He wore grey joggers, a skin-tight orange T-shirt and a pale-coloured zipped jacket.

Since this incident was reported to police officers have been carrying out enquiries in order to find out more and identify the man involved, including CCTV scoping and speaking to residents in the area.

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The spokeswoman added: ‘As part of our investigation, we would like to hear from anyone in the Shedfield area, who we have not already spoken to, who was also visited by a man offering gardening services on New Year’s Eve or the days over the Christmas and New Year period.’

Anyone with information can call 101 quoting reference 44220523036.

People can also submit information here.

Police advice against distraction burglars includes using a door viewer to see who’s there, and using a door chain. Always ask for ID and check it with the company before letting somebody into your home, and if given a phone number check it online or in a phone book, as a number on an identity card could be fake.