BOGUS police officers have ruined the start of a new life abroad for a Kent couple after tricking them out of savings totalling thousands of pounds.

Ida and Roy Wickwar are recovering at their new home in Gibraltar home following their ordeal just three and a half hours after arriving in Spain.

The couple, who until last Friday lived in Oak Tree Avenue, Maidstone, had planned to spend a fortnight travelling through Spain and had withdrawn £2,500 from their bank to cover the costs of the journey. But those plans were wrecked after they were targeted by motorway bandits.

A black Peugeot saloon flagged down their car on a ring-road circling the outskirts of Madrid. Two men claiming to be detectives investigating a forged euro-note scam, flashed ID cards and demanded to examine their cash.

Mr Wickwar said: "They looked through our wallets and replaced what we thought was money after smelling the notes and holding them to the light.

"It seemed a legitimate reason to stop us. They looked the part and even saluted us when they left. Only then did we realise what they'd done."

The couple drove to a local police station to report the crime but were told there was little officers could do. The couple later abandoned their holiday plans and drove 14 hours non-stop to get out of Spain and across the border into Gibraltar.

The Foreign Office have issued a warning to people travelling in Spain about the danger of "highway pirates" who target foreign registered and hire cars.

• Further information and hints on travel precautions is available through their website www.fco.gov.uk