DEVIZES police are investigating if the theft of £4,000 from a bank account was a result of mail being stolen from a postman's bike.

Mailbags have been stolen on two successive Saturday mornings just as postal workers were beginning their rounds.

On Saturday (April 16) at around 8.59am a postman left his bike in Longleys Close. A man was seen getting out of a vehicle, and removing the postbag.

The previous Saturday a postman reported his mailbag had been stolen at 8.45am in Forty Acres Road.

Sgt Andrew Davidson of Devizes police said a resident had been contacted by a person claiming to be from their bank and asked for their mother's maiden name.

They later found that £4,000 had been taken from a bank account.

Sgt Davidson said: "We are making enquiries to see if this is connected with the theft of the mail bags.

"It could be that there were new bank cards in the mail bags destined for customers. We are warning residents in the areas where the mail bags were stolen to be vigilant and not to give details of their bank accounts to anyone who calls, even if they claim to be from the bank."

Sgt Davidson said on both occasions a black VW Golf, with a partial registration number VWO3, containing two white men was seen following postal staff.

Anyone with information about the thefts should contact PC Tom Kinderman on (01380) 722141.