87-year-old couple victims of sting

AN 87-year-old husband and wife have been robbed by two men posing as gas board officials.

The grandparents were targeted when they answered the door at their Hathershaw home.

The tricksters said they had to carry out a safety check as there had been a gas explosion in a neighbouring street and a woman had been injured.

Once inside, the two men and an accomplice, stole more than £300 in cash as well as a handbag containing a credit card and cheque book.

The robbed husband, who did not want to be identified, said: “We hadn’t been up long when they knocked on the door. When they told me about the explosion, I only thought about the dangers.

“I let them in, I know I shouldn’t have done, and I asked them for ID but they said they’d left it in the van.”

The two men pretended to check the gas meter and look at the boiler in another room, urging the couple to move into the same room.

It was while the husband was standing in the front room doorway that he spotted a third man leaving the property.

When the conmen were in the house, the husband had put £300 of housekeeping money into the pocket of the dressing gown he was wearing.

As the two men left, one grabbed the cash from his pocket before they ran off towards Hollins Road.

The husband said: “I was shocked. I tried to put my hand down to stop him but he snatched the envelope and ran off.

“These men should be shot, it’s a very callous thing that they have done.”

All three men were white, about 5ft 10in tall and with strong Irish accents. Two of them were in their early 30s with a stocky build, short, dark hair and wearing dark clothing.

Det Con Joe Burke, of Oldham CID, said “This is a callous crime that has left this elderly couple feeling very vulnerable in their own home.

“If anyone calls at your home and does not have any ID with them and you are suspicious close the door and call the police. Don’t let this happen to you.”

Anyone with information should call Oldham CID on 0161-856 8951 or independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800-111 555.