A PENSIONER was forced to stand by helplessly as two men rifled through her belongings and stole her purse.Police in Colchester are linking two distraction burglaries at the weekend which resulted in two women being conned out of cash.

A PENSIONER was forced to stand by helplessly as two men rifled through her belongings and stole her purse.

Police in Colchester are linking two distraction burglaries at the weekend which resulted in two women being conned out of cash.

In the first incident, at about 1pm on Saturday, a woman from Gilwell Park Close, Prettygate, saw two men walking through her back garden. She challenged them and they replied they were taking a shortcut. One said he was looking for his brother.

Tem minutes later, the householder noticed someone had been through her cupboards and stolen £100.

Just over an hour later, two men entered a home in Forest Road, Colchester.

The 78-year-old woman saw them and asked them what they wanted and they told her they were looking for a ball. The intruders continued to search her house for the next ten minutes as she watched. They escaped with her purse containing about £50.

Yesterday, Det Sgt Roger Napier, of Colchester CID, said: “These people have just blatantly stolen in and taken advantage of an old lady, knowing there was very little she could do about it.

“She did the right thing, she challenged them but when confronted with someone who is determined to search the house there is not a lot she can do. We would advise people in this position to call us as soon as they can.

“And certainly, if anyone saw the two men in Forest Road at 2.35pm on Saturday or possibly earlier in Gilwell Park Close we would ask them to call Colchester Police.”

In the second burglary, the first man was aged 18 to 19, white, 5ft 7ins tall, with short light-brown hair and clean-shaven. He was wearing a navy blue jumper, black trousers and trainers.

His accomplice was aged about 30, 5ft 11ins tall, quite slim with a broad build and clean-shaven.

The East Anglian Daily Times has also launched its own campaign, Safe in Your Home, in an attempt to help police crack down on bogus callers.

Anyone with any information about the latest attempts should call Colchester Police on 01206 762212.

nA woman who popped out to see her neighbour and left her door open returned five minutes later to discover £100 in cash missing from her home.

The theft took place at flats in Stanley Wooster Way, Colchester, on Sunday morning.

Sharon.Asplin@eadt.co.uk