ELDERLY people in the South Petherton area have been warned about becoming the next victims of ‘dirty’ distraction thieves.

Police reported that at around 6pm on Wednesday, September 12, two men tried to coax the occupant of a bungalow in South Petherton outside on the pretence that something was happening in a nearby car park.

The householder refused and the two men were seen walking off.

One of the men then went to the rear of another bungalow and told the occupant he needed to check the water. Nothing was stolen.

The next day a similar incident happened at homes near Bristol involving two men, both wearing baseball caps with one having an Irish accent and perhaps a lisp, and described as “smelly and unwashed.”

Police have said they might be connected to two more incidents in the South Petherton area at Over Stratton and Watergore, where one suspect was described as “smelling unclean.”

A police spokesman said: “We’d like anyone who may have seen people acting suspiciously to call us on 101.

“We’d remind householders, especially the elderly, to keep their doors locked and not open them to unwanted or uninvited callers.”