ELDERLY residents in North Yorkshire have been urged to ensure their homes are secure after a number of suspicious incidents.

North Yorkshire Police said old people in the Harrogate and Boroughbridge areas had reported incidents of people entering their homes claiming to be working on local plumbing.

On Wednesday, September 24, a man called at the home of an elderly woman in Harrogate claiming that his friend was doing some plumbing work and he needed to turn off her water supply while they carried out the work.

He spent a considerable amount of time in the woman’s house, but police said nothing was stolen. The man is described as white, of medium build, aged around 30, with medium-length light coloured hair and noticeably white teeth. He spoke with a local accent and was wearing casual clothes.

The same afternoon, two men called at the Boroughbridge home of an elderly man, claiming there was a water leak and that they needed to check the premises.

They entered the house and one began to empty the cupboard under the sink. He claimed that work needed to be carried out or the house was in danger of flooding. The second man went into the lounge and pretended to be looking for something. When the householder challenged them and asked for their details, they refused and quickly left, and the victim discovered a wallet had been stolen containing cash.

In a third incident on the same day, two men claimed to be window cleaners and called at the home of a disabled man in Harrogate. The men spent time in his property asking questions before leaving, but nothing was stolen