ELDERLY people are being warned to be on their guard after a pensioner's purse was stolen during a "distraction burglary".

The 79-year-old woman was working in the garden of her Gilesgate home, in Durham City, last Wednesday afternoon, when a man offered to help.

She agreed and gave him a pair of gardening gloves, because he said he was allergic to the material on the tools he was going to use.

After a short time, the woman offered to make him a cup of tea and when she went indoors, he asked if he could use the toilet.

He left a few minutes later and the woman discovered her purse, containing £14 and her bus pass, had gone from the living room.

Pc Lindsey Cowan, of Durham Police, said: "Elderly people should be alert to the threat of distraction burglaries.

"The youth who offered to help this lady seemed perfectly plausible, and told her was from the Ludworth area.

"Anyone who is approached in a similar way should not allow an individual into their home unless they know them, and should contact the police."

The man is described as white, aged about 20 and 5ft 8in. He was of slim build and had mousy, straight, short hair. He spoke with a local accent.

Anyone with information should contact Durham Police on 0191-386 4222.