PENSIONERS are advised to be on their guard following a series of thefts.

Police in Marske said there have been six incidents since the beginning of the month.

The latest took place on Sunday afternoon when a 72-year-old woman answered the doorbell of her home in Yeoman Terrace to find a girl in her late teens asking if 'Brenda' lived there.

The girl asked the woman questions and while she was distracted, a teenage boy came into the house through the back door.

A friend who was visiting the pensioner startled the boy, but he grabbed a shoulder bag containing a credit card and cigarettes and made off in a white Peugeot 205.

Although the woman was shocked and upset, she described the girl as being five feet four inches tall with blonde, almost shoulder-length, hair with a tattoo on her left upper arm. She was wearing a white V neck T-shirt and navy blue trousers.

The boy is described as being five feet five inches tall, with short dark hair, a navy blue top and dark trousers, trainers and of thin build.

Police think the pair is responsible for a series of similar incidents in the area. Community officer Bill McGregor is keen to hear from anyone who may have information. He can be contacted on (01642) 302026.