A CON merchant tricked her way into an elderly couple's home in Melksham by using a boy with special needs as a decoy.

Police believe children are being used more regularly by conmen wanting to target pensioners and condemned the rise in cases as "disturbing".

The pensioners were tricked when a boy aged between seven and eight called at their home in Granville Road around 8pm on Friday.

The boy, who had special needs, said he wanted to hug the owner of the house, and when the door was opened, a young woman forced her way inside saying she wanted to wish the couple a happy new year.

The pair were inside the house for half an hour. When they left by the back door the woman realised her handbag was missing.

Police spokesman Graham Chivers said the nature of the crime was particularly disturbing.

He said: "Using children is on the increase. There have been several occasions when children have been used.

"All distraction burglaries are distasteful but they are exacerbated when children are used as the primary means to gain admission."

The boy was described as white, about 4ft 6ins with dark brown hair and a blue anorak.

The woman was white, aged 18 to 20, 5ft 10ins with tied back black hair and dark clothing.

Just three days later two elderly women from Westwood near Bradford on Avon were targeted at their home by intruders who pretended to be police officers.

Three men called at the house in Peto Grove around 5pm, banging on the door and shouting "police, police".

One of the women opened the door and all three men pushed past, but after the pensioners become suspicious, the men left the house empty-handed.

Sgt Mark Rees, of Bradford on Avon police, said: "I would not like to say whether it is part of a series or not but it's being investigated."

A spokesman for Help the Aged said: "Unfortunately this sort of thing can happen. It does need to be borne in mind that elderly people are less targeted than the rest of the population, but the effect of being a victim of crime for an elderly person can be far worse.

"It's something we need to take extremely seriously but we do not want to scare people unnecessarily."