APPEALS are being made to the criminal underworld on Teesside to turn in three women fraudsters who stole an elderly couple's life savings.

Two women and a teenager bluffed their way into the Redcar home of the housebound couple in their eighties.

One of the visitors, who the couple thought were from Social Services, pretended to leave a room to make a cup of tea for the pensioners, but ransacked their bedroom from which she stole a large amount of cash.

The couple, from Teesville, targeted by a bogus water board official two years ago, have been left traumatised by the latest theft.

DC Peter Clifford of Cleveland Police said: "We appeal to members of the public and criminals to name and shame these offenders.''

One of the pensioners has not been outside her home in the two years since the couple were conned by the bogus water official.

DC Clifford said of the bogus callers: "These women targeted this house somehow knowing of the vulnerability of the couple living there."

One is a slim woman in her 20s with short gingerish blond hair. One accomplice is a fat, buxom woman in her 30s who has short, dark hair. The third member of the gang is a girl aged about 15 or 16 years with brown hair.

Anyone with information about last Friday's theft should call Cleveland Police on (01642) 302020.