POLICE say they are very confident of catching a sex attacker who may have assaulted a number of pensioners.

An 87-year-old widow was sexually assaulted on Wednesday when a masked intruder, armed with a knife, got into the bedroom of her home in Seaham, County Durham.

The man, who had forced a back door to get into her home, assaulted the woman as she lay terrified in her bed.

Detectives leading the inquiry have linked the attack with an incident in January, when a woman in her seventies, also in Seaham, was subjected to a prolonged indecent assault by a man who had got into her bedroom.

However, a spokesman for Durham Police refused yesterday to link the attacks to a report that another elderly woman had been disturbed by someone knocking on her door late at night.

The spokesman said there was an ongoing problem with prowlers and opportunist thieves in all villages.

He said that, although police viewed these incidents very seriously, there was nothing at this stage to suggest the late-night door knocking episodes were linked in any way to the indecent assaults.

He said that officers were aware of the anxiety felt by residents in the Seaham area, and extra uniformed foot patrols would continue for the time being.

But he added: "We are very confident the sex attacker will be caught.''