Police are hunting for a conman who posed as a police officer to steal more than £3,000 from a pensioner.

The 79-year-old victim was left shaken and upset after the incident in Redcar, east Cleveland, on Tuesday.

The incident has prompted a warning from officers of Cleveland Police, who are urging residents to be vigilant and suspicious of cold-callers The offender approached the house, on the Lakes estate, at about 11am.

Posing as a police officer, he eventually talked his way in to the property after showing a form of false identification to the victim Although the pensioner was not physically harmed in the incident she was left shaken.

Detective sergeant John Green, of Cleveland Police, said: "This has been a very distressing incident for the lady involved and serves as a reminder to always verify the identity of persons calling at your door.

"If that person has genuine reason to call they will happily produce identification when asked.

"It appears the victim in this case was deliberately targeted due to her age and we are especially keen to trace this man at the earliest possible opportunity to prevent this happening again."

The man, who was not wearing a uniform, was described as 6ft, aged between 40 and 50, with a shaven head and was wearing a distinctive orange-coloured fleece.

Anyone with information is asked to call (01642) 302626 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

The Northern Echo's Doorstoppers campaign, which is run in conjunction with trading standards teams from North Yorkshire County Council, aims to put doorstep rogues out of business.

The campaign offers advice to residents to prevent them becoming victims of doorstop crime.

Residents should always ask for identification and follow this up with a telephone call to the company to check if the caller if genuine. Suspicious callers should be reported to the local police or to Crimestoppers.