A COUNCILLOR has condemned bogus water company officials who tricked a pensioner out of £200.

The victim, an 87-year-old woman from Chilton, was visited at 5.30pm on Monday by a man claiming to be from a water company .

He gained entry on the premise of checking the water overflow, and while he pretended to be working, a second man searched other rooms.

The woman asked the first man to leave when she became suspicious, then found the second man crouching in the kitchen.

They left, but the woman later discovered that £200 was missing, plus a pension book.

Councillor Brian Avery said: "It is diabolical when people start conning people in their 80s. This was a great shock to this woman."

A spokesman for Durham Police said there had been similar incidents recorded that day, in Ferryhill and Bowburn.

He said: "It is a real problem to which the police are devoting a lot of time.

"Our advice remains the same - admit nobody to your house unless you are absolutely certain of their credentials.

"Keep them at the door and check them out. The real callers won't mind. The bogus callers will hopefully go away.

"Bogus callers target the most vulnerable people and care nothing for the misery they leave behind."

Anyone who has information about this or similar incidents should contact Newton Aycliffe Police on (01325) 314401.