BOGUS callers have struck once again in Pontypool - targeting a 97-year-old woman. Two men conned their way into her home in Broadway around midday yesterday.

The pair told her that they had come to fix a problem with the water pipes in her house, but made off with an undisclosed amount of cash.

The incident is the latest in a string of similar deception burglaries, all targeted at elderly people, in Torfaen and Newport since August.

Last week two men made off with what Gwent police described as "a substantial amount of cash," after conning an 87-year-old woman living alone in Broadway.

They posed as plumbers, again claiming to check water pipes. She told police that one man kept her talking while the other disappeared into the house and she later discovered money was missing from her bedroom.

Detective Sergeant Peter Jones of Pontypool CID is leading a team of eight officers to investigate the incidents. He said the crooks had even pretended to be police officers to gain access and steal cash from victims' houses. They have also masqueraded as water and gas board representatives.

Police say the callers are using increasingly sophisticated methods including fake ID cards and phone numbers.

They advise residents to contact the company which callers claim to be working to check their identities.

Anyone with information about these crimes should contact Pontypool CID on 01495 764711.