POLICE are anxious to trace two teenage con artists who tricked their way into an 89-year-old woman’s home and got away with just 50p. The theft happened in Park Avenue, Broadstairs, between 11am and noon on Friday Nov 16. The woman answered her front door to a teenage girl who began asking questions about the First World War.

The girl appeared to be taking notes in a notebook. A few minutes later a teenage boy came along and asked if the woman needed any odd jobs doing. When she said no, he asked to use her toilet. The woman let him do so.

The girl then did the same, and the boy asked to use it again. After they both left, the woman found her purse, containing around 50p in small change, had been stolen.

A police spokeswoman said: “This sort of crime is being committed by younger and younger people all the time. We cannot stress enough how cautious older people have to be when opening their door to strangers. There are so many excuses to get into a house, be it charity collections, asking to use the toilet or to retrieve a lost football."

Police think the con may be linked to another case in which an 86-year-old man living in Cross Road, Birchington, handed £5 to two young people who showed him a form and said they needed backing for a charity walk.

A police spokeswoman said: “The pair, a boy and a girl, asked him if they could use his toilet. They took it in turns, while the other kept him occupied and chatting. After they left, the man found £40 and his driving licence had been stolen.

“We stress that people should not hand over money or let doorstep callers into their homes unless they know it is genuine or a pre-arranged appointment has been made.”

The boy is aged about 15 and has short fair hair, while the girl is said to be 17 and has short dark hair. Both wore anoraks and jeans.