DETECTIVES are warning elderly people to be on their guard following a series of incidents involving bogus callers.

The first callers were on Monday morning in the Chester-le-Street and Fencehouses areas, followed by similar incidents in Blackhall Colliery and South Hetton later that morning.

At about 5.30pm there was another report from the Crook area.

Investigators said the number of offences reported was unusual and possible links between the County Durham offences and others committed in the Washington area were being examined.

In the first incident, a man called at a house in Melville Street, Chester-le-Street, posing as a new neighbour, but the occupant became suspicious and closed the door.

The suspect, thought to be with a second man, then appeared at a house in nearby Allen Street where he stole money from a purse after tricking an elderly woman into letting him in.

Two men later conned their way into a house in Melville Street, Fencehouses, on the pretext of asking about a leaking roof.

When they left, the woman found her purse was missing.

The first man is described as 18 to 25, about 5ft 5in, slim, with unkempt medium brown hair. He was clean-shaven, had a local accent and wore a blue zipped sports top and matching bottoms with scruffy trainers.

His accomplice is thought to be between 20 and 30, about the same height and stocky. He had short black unkempt curly hair and was wearing a blue checked shirt and blue bottoms.

At Blackhall Colliery at about 11.30am, an elderly couple confronted a man in their hallway.

The victims glimpsed a second man hurrying past a rear window. They later found a small amount of money had been stolen from a handbag.

Anyone with information is asked to call 0191-3864222.

Last year, The Northern Echo launched its Doorstoppers campaign to warn householders against bogus callers and those selling door-to-door.