A man is trying to con old women out of their money and jewellery.

He claims to be from the water board and tries to get into pensioners' homes with a view to stealing from them.

He struck five times on Friday afternoon but his victims did not let him out of their sight and he left each house empty-handed.

Detectives hunting the bogus official are appealing for information and repeating their warning to elderly residents not to let strangers in their homes.

Det Con Mike Lyons said: "The man called at five addresses all over the town from Cameron Road to Halebank between 2pm and 3.30pm.

"He knocked at the homes of elderly women and told them there was an emergency situation because of a major water burst in the area.

"He told his victims to fill pans with water and told them he had to go and find the stop tap.

"But the pensioners were obviously suspicious of him and followed him around the house - not leaving him on his own."

The man is described as 5ft10 to six feet tall, of slim build and aged in his late 20s to 30. He had short dark hair and wore a workman's shirt or overalls.

Det Con Lyons added: "There was no water burst in any of these areas and no engineers were sent out so this man's obvious intention was to steal from his victims.

"The excuses these type of people give for calling sound very plausible - that's how they manage to get into so many homes."

Anyone with information can contact Det Con Lyons or Det Con Julie Birch on 424 7431.

North West Water and British Gas both have password schemes to help crack down on bogus callers. They are free to join by calling your local office.

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