Bogus gas callers steal £400 from pensioner

Bogus callers claiming to be from British Gas are being hunted after £400 was stolen from a home in Castleford.

The man went to the house on South Avenue at around 10.30am on July 26, telling the female owner that new gas pipes would need to be laid in her back garden.

New Hall women’s prison in Wakefield meets targets despite rise in assaultsAfter keeping the owner distracted in the garden for around 20 minutes, it is thought a second person then entered the property and took the cash from a wallet in a bedroom drawer. Another bedside draw had also been rifled through.

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The man who distracted the resident said his name was Matthew Tate and was described as being white, in his 20s, wearing a white T-shirt and faded blue jeans.

UK set to be sweltering at 30C - but will Yorkshire be so lucky? A police spokesman said: “We can not stress enough how important it is to advise your vulnerable, elderly relatives or neighbours about allowing strangers onto their property.

“If in doubt, our advice is do not open the door, and if you do, always check for ID.”