PENSIONER Amy Boatwright is just one of a growing number of people who have fallen victim to doorstep con artists.

Mrs Boatwright, 82, had nearly £300 stolen from her house in Walcot when she opened the door to a bogus caller.

And despite the efforts by Swindon police to step up the fight against distraction burglaries, they continue to occur with increasing regularity.

Mrs Boatwright talked today about her experiences as part of the police's Operation Litotes to highlight the problem.

She had returned from the shops in July when a so-called council representative knocked at her front door in Frobisher Drive.

"I had just got back from Tesco and the post office where I had taken about £300 out when I heard a knock," she said.

"I opened the door and asked him to wait while I went upstairs to the toilet.

"When I came back downstairs he had gone. I didn't realise at first that my bag had gone. It was only later when I needed to get my purse out that I knew it had been stolen."

Mrs Boatwright had even phoned Tesco to make sure she hadn't left the grey handbag at the store before the truth dawned on her. "He looked quite scruffy but I didn't think anything was wrong. I had been phoning the council about mending my toilet and the drains outside so I thought they had finally turned up to do it.

"I wasn't frightened at the time but later on I did worry. Now my son has told me to always put the chain on the door."

Mrs Boatwright says she is hoping to buy a dog to replace her spaniel Prince who died a few weeks ago. She says he made a good watchdog.

"As soon as anyone knocked at the door he would bark. The same if someone went to the gate in the back garden," she said.

"Just a few days ago I had some washing stolen from the line in the garden."

Swindon police took part in a two-day operation to track down bogus callers, which ended yesterday.

Officers have been stopping vehicles they believe could be used by distraction burglars as they travel across the region.

Inspector Nick Ashley of Swindon police headed the exercise, which included random stop checks on the A346 just outside Marlborough.

Inspector Ashley said: "More than 40 vehicles were stopped over the two days. No arrests were made but we have taken some details to add to our database."

Wiltshire police spokeswoman Alvina Kumar added: "Distraction burglars target the elderly and the vulnerable members of the community.

"We urge people to always keep the chain across the door and call a friend or neighbour if in doubt. If people are genuinely worried they should call the police."