PENSIONERS in east Cleveland are being advised to be on their guard following a series of "cold-calling" thefts in the area.

Police in Marske said there had been six incidents since the start of the month, the latest on Sunday afternoon when a 72-year-old woman answered the doorbell of her home in Yeoman Terrace to a girl in her late teens, asking if "Brenda" lived there.

The girl kept asking the woman questions and, while she was busy, a teenage boy went into the house through the back door.

The woman had a friend round for coffee and, although she startled the boy, he grabbed a shoulder bag containing a credit card and cigarettes and made off in a white Peugeot 205.

The woman was shocked and upset by the incident.

The girl was described as 5ft 4in, with blonde, almost shoulder-length hair, and a tattoo on her left upper arm. She wore a white V neck T-shirt and navy blue trousers.

The boy was 5ft 5in, of thin build, with short dark hair, and wore a navy blue top and dark trousers, and trainers.

Police think the pair have been responsible for a series of similar incidents in the Marske area and community officer Bill McGregor would like to hear from anyone who was in the area at the time, or who knows who the pair are.

He can be contacted on (01642) 302026.