ELDERLY people in Wharfedale, Aire-borough and Horsforth are being warned to be on their guard after a rise in the number of distraction burglaries in the area.

The police warning comes after an increase in the number of bogus callers who visit houses - with a 90-year-old Otley woman the latest victim..

Peter Krushniak, Neighbourhood Watch Liaison Officer at Weetwood Police Station, said elderly people especially must listen to the advice made available to them.

He added that the elderly must make sure that the first thing they do is to ask for identification when people call, and follow the steps for verifying the id they provide.

Last week a 90-year-old woman was conned by a man pretending to be from her water company.

The man walked up to a window in her Union Court flat in Otley last Tuesday at around 1.20pm.

He asked the woman to turn on her hot and cold taps because there was a problem with the drains.

The woman went to the bathroom and while she did so the man entered the house through an open door.

He stole her hand bag and made off.

The bag was made of black fabric and contained her purse, cash, pension book and bus pass.

She described the man as white, 5ft 8ins, average build and was clean shaven with brown hair.

In a separate incident two men entered the home of an 85-year-old woman in Bramhope and stole cash from a cupboard.

The pair approached the house in Breary Lane between 4pm and 4.30pm on Wednesday, August 14.

One of the men talked to the woman through a window while the other entered the house.

As the money was being taken the woman rushed to alert her neighbours.

She returned to the house and found one of the men trying to force open another cupboard.

When the neighbours were alerted the man escapes through the window he entered.

The woman was shocked but not injured.

The men were described as white and the first was 5ft 10ins, slim, in his early 20s with short, straight, fair hair.

He was wearing a navy jumper with white emblems on each side of the chest and blue grey trousers.

The second man was 5ft 8ins, 19-years-old, slim with short ginger hair and he was wearing a similar jumper.

Mr Krushniak said that cards were available with advice on what to do to avoid bogus callers stealing property if they call.

He said: "It is important that people follow certain steps to ensure that they do not become the victim of distraction burglars.

"The best advice is to not keep large amounts of cash in the house, report suspicious callers to the police and always say no to doorstep callers."

l Anyone with information can call Weetwood Police on (0113) 2413459.