Police warn Brentwood residents after latest distraction burglary

Sam Blewett

Published: 2:57 PM June 11, 2014

Updated: 12:22 PM October 13, 2020

Residents should be wary of who they let into their homes, police warn - Credit: Archant

Police in Brentwood are warning residents to be wary of people knocking on their doors and offering building or garden work following a spate of distraction burglaries.

The warning follows the latest incident where a retired woman had a four-figure sum stolen from her property.

Two men knocked on the door of a house in Cedar Road, Hutton, at around 1pm last Friday and said they were there to fix the roof.

The victim paid them £300 for the work to be completed but she was deliberately distracted and they stole a sum of cash from her handbag and left the premises.

Det Con Patrick Snape of Brentwood CID is urging for anyone to come forward who may have seen a white van and the two men both described as white by the victim.

She did not get a good look at one man but the other she described as having blonde hair and was of average height.

Det Con Snape said: “There have been three other distraction burglary offences in different parts of Brentwood in the last month and I urge the public to be cautious about who they let inside their home.”