Police have urged people to be on their guard after bogus officials stole thousands of pounds in a series of raids on pensioners' homes.
Crooks posing as utility company workers struck at more than half a dozen addresses in the Braintree, Maldon and Chelmsford areas on Friday
The worst of the burglaries happened in Warwick Crescent, Maldon, where three men ransacked an elderly resident's home and stole a purse containing £1,000, after claiming to be from the water board.
A trio using the same ruse took £100 in cash and a cheque book from addresses in Snellin Grove and Cowel Avenue in Chelmsford.
A man pretending to be an electricity board official stole £600 from a house in Ashton Road, Ridgewell.
Police have issued descriptions of the three men who burgled the address in Maldon.
The first, who led the way in ransacking the house, was white and about 6ft 2ins tall. The second was said to be about 35, 5ft 5ins tall with a stocky build. He had short brown hair, parted in the middle, and wore a blue shirt.
The third man was about 19, 5ft 9ins tall with fair hair. He was clean-shaven and also wearing a blue shirt.
Anyone with information should contact Braintree CID on 01376 551312, or Chelmsford CID on 01245 491212.
Published Monday, June 23, 2003
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