PENSIONER Les Sanderson believes an evening telephone call purporting to be for a Royal Mail survey was a scam intended to find out when his home in Marlborough was unoccupied.

The Post Office has confirmed the call to his home was probably a hoax because it is unaware of any official survey being carried out for the Royal Mail.

Police have advised householders receiving similar calls not to say when their homes are empty.

Mr Sanderson was watching TV at 7.30pm last Thursday when his phone rang and the woman caller claimed she was conducting the survey.

The woman asked him what time he left home in the morning and claimed it was part of a survey to see if mail deliveries were early enough.

Mr Sanderson said: "I became suspicious as soon as she asked me what time I left home because I don't think that is the sort of question you would be asked in a genuine survey."

As soon as he said he did not go to work, he said, the woman caller said: "Sorry for troubling you." and rang off.

When he dialled 1471 to try to discover where she was calling from he was told that the number was withheld.

Mr Sanderson reported the incident to Marlborough police and to the Royal Mail customer care service.

A post office spokesman said: "We would advise anyone receiving a call like this to make sure they give no information about when their home might be empty and to suggest to the caller that they should send the questions in writing."