Police are warning residents to be alert for bogus callers after a thief stole £600 from an elderly couple.
The trickster knocked on the owners' home, in Great Oxcroft, Laindon, and claimed to be there to check for broken water pipes.
The man, in his forties, was let into the house and asked the couple to run the water taps in the kitchen until they saw a blue line.
He told them to empty all the items underneath the sink.
While they got down on their hands and knees to unpack the cupboard the trickster ransacked the couple's bedroom and left.
Later the couple became suspicious and went upstairs to find that £600 had been stolen.
The conman is stocky, 5ft 10ins tall, with dark brown short hair and clean shaven. He spoke with a northern accent and wore a blue short sleeved shirt and blue jeans.
Anyone with information on this incident or others like it should contact Basildon police on 01268 532212.
Published Friday July 9, 2004
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