TWO bogus callers have been thwarted in separate incident by quick-thinking residents.

On Friday at 2pm , one conman was refused entry when he called to the home of an 82-year-old man in Durrington Walk, Penhill.

The man claimed to be a meter reader from the gas board. But the pensioner sent him away and nothing was taken.

The householder reported the incident to Swindon Police, who are asking for witnesses to come forward if they saw the man in the area.

He is described as only 5ft tall and in his 30s.

He was wearing baggy beige three-quarter length trousers and carrying some form of identification and a small meter-reading type machine around his neck.

In the second incident, in the east of Swindon at 5.30pm on Friday, a man called at the home of an elderly woman and tried to persuade her to hand over £30 to remove the rubbish from her garden.

He claimed her husband had agreed to the work, but the woman knew that was impossible because her husband had been at work all day.

The caller was white and in his early 20s. He was wearing a yellow cap and spoke with an Irish accent.

He left without collecting any money or removing the rubbish.

Police would like to remind residents that bogus callers pray on the elderly and vulnerable, and they should always remember to stop, chain the door and check their ID.

Anyone with information is asked to call Swindon Police on 528111.