SPA residents have been warned to be on their guard against unexpected callers after a woman had her handbag stolen from her house on Hanbury Road at 2pm last Thursday (May 5).
The victim let a stranger into the property after he knocked her door and asked to look at her back garden fence.
Five minutes later, after accompanying the woman to examine the fencing, they walked back up and he left through the side gate. She then noticed her handbag, along with her purse and contents, had gone.
A police spokeswoman said: “Burglars won’t go to the trouble of breaking in if they can just knock and be invited in.
“So always be on your guard when you’re not expecting anyone and a man, a woman or even a child turns up at your door.”
She added they may be smartly dressed and claim to be from the council, gas board, health authority or other organisation or they may offer to buy antiques.
Residents in any doubt of who callers are should put the chain on, check ID and, if still unsure, call the police on 101 or tell them to come back later so they have time to check their credentials.
