An elderly man in Lydd has twice been the victim of a distraction burglary, and detectives believe the two incidents are linked.

On the last occasion, on Saturday, a man talked his way into the victim’s home in Station Road between 5pm and 5.20pm, claiming that he worked as a police officer and needed to seize any cash he had in the house as part of an investigation into counterfeit currency.

The offender was accompanied by a woman and they persuaded the victim to part with his money.

The suspect is described as white with medium length black hair. He was of a large build with an oval shaped face. He was wearing a white T-shirt, was aged in his late 40s and around 6ft.

The victim, who is in his 80s, raised the alarm when he realised he had been scammed.

Back in October, the same householder was visited by a man who claimed he was doing some work on a house nearby and saw a bird fly in through his window.

He asked if he could come in and get the bird out.

He is alleged to have barged into the property and quickly toured the house while confusing the resident.

He told the victim he could see some water damage which he would fix for £600. The victim had never seen the water before but felt obliged to hand over the money, which the suspect saw him retrieve from a safe.

That incident happened at around 1pm on Monday, October 25.

Detectives have linked the two incidents.

They would like to hear from anyone who witnessed anything suspicious in Station Road or has information that could help with the investigation.

Anyone with details should call Kent Police on 01843 222289 quoting reference 46/4944/22 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 55511