A conman tricked a 96-year-old woman out of hundreds of pounds after posing as a council official.

The man called at the pensioner's home on Tuesday saying he was a council worker who had come to repair her windows.

She let him in and went to make a cup of tea for him while he carried out a hurried search of her property.

A few minutes later the man left the house, in Boldon Colliery, South Shields.

The woman realised he had been through her personal belongings and had taken two purses containing several hundreds of pounds, police said.

Detective Inspector Paul Young, of South Shields CID, said: "I can't emphasise enough how careful the elderly should be about incidents of this kind.

"I would advise them not to keep large amounts of cash in the house, and anyone coming to the door should be asked for official identification."

A spokesman for South Tyneside Council said: "All council employees wear clearly-marked corporate clothing and carry identification badges with photographs.

"People should always check ID, and if they are in any doubt, they should refuse entry and contact police."