BOGUS callers have been preying on elderly people in Lyneham and Wootton Bassett this week.

Police in Wootton Bassett are now investigating two such incidents.

The first occurred in Keats Close in Wootton Bassett on Wednesday at 8.30pm when money was stolen from an 87-year-old woman.

The police are now keen to trace a man seen in Wootton Bassett three times driving a white Transit van. He was offering to do gardening work.

He was white, around 5ft 9in, stocky and muscular, with a crew-cut style haircut and he looked scruffy.

He had a cockney accent.

In a second incident at Pound Close at Lyneham at 78-year-old woman was called upon by a man claiming to sell cleaning equipment. No description of the man was available.

Wootton Bassett community sergeant Andy Fortune could not rule a connection between both incidents.

He said: "We are keen to hear any information about these two crimes.

"The offenders pick on elderly females and in this case one of them was suffering from Alzheimer's. These are very callous crimes and I urge elderly people not to let in people without an appointment."

If anyone has any information on either of these crimes they can call Wootton Bassett police on 01793 852213.