Elderly foil suspicious callers

Elderly people are easy targets for con men

Police in the Thames Valley have praised elderly people who refused to let burglars into their homes.

Three suspected distraction burglaries in Headington, Oxfordshire, were prevented by pensioners who realised the callers were suspicious.

Twice on Saturday, in incidents only five hours apart, a man with an Irish accent tried to gain entry to homes, claiming he was there to fix a fence.

They are linking it with another attempted robbery in the area.

Detective Sergeant Vince Gilio, of the burglary team, said: "It is reassuring to see that the message is getting through about bogus callers and they need to be vigilant.

"Fortunately in these cases, nothing appears to have been stolen but it was still extremely distressing for the victims involved.

"Not only is this a callous crime, it also undermines people's feelings of safety in their own homes, which is unacceptable."