Pensioners are being targeted by thieves posing as Age Concern volunteers.

Police say there has been an increase in the number of distraction burglaries in Brighton and Hove in the last few months.

Now they are urging residents to be careful who they let into their homes in case they are offenders.

In some cases victims have been raided by thieves posing as officials and have been left too scared to go out.

Ronald Bowman, 76, was tricked by a man and a woman claiming to be from Age Concern.

They ransacked a safe in his son's room which contained his father's war medals.

Police recovered the medals but Mr Bowman now will not leave his front door after dark.

On the day of the burglary, Mr Bowman had just returned to his home in Cowley Road, Woodingdean, from the Age Concern office in Brighton city centre.

He said: “I had just had an operation on my eye and it was playing on my mind.

“I lost my wife eight years ago and she is always on my mind. It was near the time of our wedding anniversary, so I had been thinking about that.

“I had been dozing so I wasn't really thinking straight.”

Mr Bowman allowed the man and woman in their 30s into his home when they said they were from Age Concern.

He said: “That's why I let them in, because I had just come from there.

“The woman asked for a cup of coffee so I made her one.

“I only noticed later that the bedroom doors upstairs were open but I didn't think anything of it at the time.

“The next day my boy came home and asked who had been in his room because the safe had gone.”

The safe was later found dumped in a river but Mr Bowman said he cannot get over the betrayal.

He said: “I feel really choked up about it.

“These people target pensioners to take their life savings away when they have worked hard all their lives.

“I lived through the Blitz but I'm scared now.”

Sussex Police said burglaries like that at Mr Bowman's home in June were becoming increasingly common and that the average age of victims was 81.

Detective Constable Dominic Witham said: “We hope that by getting this message out people will start thinking about an older person they know – a mum, dad, neighbour or friend – who may be living alone who they can warn against incidents like this.”

Elderly people are advised to check all doors and windows are locked before answering unsolicited calls.

If you do decide to open the door, use the chain and ask the caller for ID and verify their ID is correct.

Anyone who is suspicious of a caller should phone Sussex Police on 0845 6070999 or, in an emergency, 999.