CONMEN preying on the elderly have been in action again in the Avebury area. Two elderly women in Avebury Trusloe and in Winterbourne Monkton have been the latest targets for bogus callers.

In both cases they were visited by three men.

In the first instance a 91-year-woman living alone at Winterbourne Monkton was visited by the men who claimed to be from the water board.

She let them in to her home and later found a brown case had been taken. It contained family documents and police said it would probably have been dumped as soon as the thieves realised the contents had no monetary value.

In a second case, three men went to the home of an elderly woman at Avebury Trusloe.

When challenged by neighbours the trio claimed they were looking for a lost dog and made off empty-handed.

Both incidents happened between noon and 1pm on Saturday.

WDC Angie Bryant, who is investigating these latest incidents, said that at about the time of the incident in Avebury Trusloe a royal blue car was seen emerging on to the Trusloe road from South Street.

Police would like to speak to the driver of the blue car if only to rule him or her out of their inquiries. Anyone who saw the car is asked to contact WDC Bryant at Marlborough Police Station on (01672) 512311.

The youngest of the trio was described by witnesses as about 5ft1in and of slight build. He was wearing dark clothing and had dark greasy hair.

The second man was described as being in his mid-20s, about 5ft8in, medium build with a very distinctive hair style, cropped from the back of the head to his neck but wavy on top. He was wearing a white top. He spoke with an accent one witness thought was North Country, possibly Liverpool or Newcastle upon Tyne.

The third man was of very similar build to the second and it is possible they were brothers.

In a separate incident in Aldbourne, a pensioner allowed bogus water board officials into his home in the Lottage Road area at 7.30pm last Wednesday, but later challenged them, and they left empty handed.