An elderly couple burgled by con artists condemned the police’s decision to publish their full address on a crimefighting website.

Sussex Police posted the house number, street name and postcode of the couple in a wanted appeal on the Crimestoppers charity website.

The details stood online for nearly a year before The Argus raised concerns about the safety of the 79-year-old man and 86-year-old woman living at the address this week.

Crimestoppers removed the details from the website immediately - but Sussex Police maintained the decision to publish the address was not a blunder but a deliberate operational ploy.

The woman, now 86, said she was unhappy at having her street number published.

She said: “I didn’t know anything about it.

“I don’t think it’s right.

“They can say there has been a burglary in the vicinity but they don’t have to give them the number, surely?”

The crime took place in April 2007 when a young man called at the address in Goring saying he had lost his cat.

While the couple were distracted, two men walked into the house and rifled through their possessions.

The men stole wedding and engagement rings, and a handbag.

The appeal on the website is the only “wanted” picture issued for Sussex.

It asks the public to provide information about the whereabouts of Michael Doran.

He is described as a large white man in his early 30s, with cropped auburn hair, who speaks with a light stammer.

A spokeswoman for Crimestoppers said the information was posted by Sussex Police’s intelligence department, which is responsible for the information in the website’s !Most Wanted! section.

Police have not revealed what specific circumstances meant it was acceptable in this case to publish the address details.

A spokesman for Sussex Police said: “Normally we would not be so specific with location information but on this occasion it was an operational decision to reveal the address.

”However we would stress the victims were not identified and have been kept informed of the progress of the investigation.”

Conservative MP Peter Bottomley, whose Worthing West constituency includes Goring, said: “If they removed the particular identifying details when The Argus brought it to their attention then The Argus has done a service.

“If police had a reason [to post these details] when it first came up, they appear to have forgotten what it was.

“I hope people will take care in future to make sure proper details are put up and if there is a reason that it is something they can say confidentially or publicly.”

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Sussex Police on 0845 6070999 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.