AN ELDERLY man woke to find a burglar in his home near Selby yesterday.

The man was asleep in his chair at around 3pm yesterday afternoon when a burglar came through an unlocked door at the house on Sutton Lane, Byram, and stole a mobile phone.

Although the burglar claimed to be looking for scrap, but the incident left the victim, who is in his 70s, shaken.

PC Nicola Gill said: “The elderly victim was startled to find a stranger in his front room and very shaken up by what happened.

“Targeting elderly and vulnerable people in this way is appalling. I am appealing to people who were in the area at the time, to anyone who recognises the suspect from the description and to anyone who has any information about the incident, to contact the police. “

The suspect is white, in his early 20s, around 5ft 7in tall, of slim build with light coloured short hair. He spoke with a local accent.

Anyone who has any information is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, email Nicola.gill@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Quote reference 12140088282 when passing on information about this crime.