WILTSHIRE Police are appealing for information after a group of men committed three distraction offences on the same day last week.

The first incident, which took place at about 4pm on March 29, occurred in the Elm Grove Area of Salisbury.

Two men called at a house and said that they needed to enter due to a nearby flood.

The elderly male occupant refused them entry but a short time later three men forced their way into the house and stole about £80 in cash.

A group of three or four men was then seen fleeing the scene on foot towards the city centre.

They are all described as being white and in their 20s.

At about 4.30pm the same day, four men pushed their way into a house in Great Wishford after claiming to be from the water board.

The occupant this time was an elderly woman and she said all four men appeared to be wearing boiler suits.

The men stole a briefcase containing a number of personal papers and left in a small blue car. Then, at about 5.15pm, a similar offence occurred in Boreham Field, Warminster. This incident saw four men enter the home of an elderly man, again by claiming they were from the water board, but this time they were wearing high visibility jackets.

Approximately £300 was taken and as the men made their escape the elderly owner of the house was pushed over.

The men were once again seen getting into a small dark blue car as they made their escape.

Anyone who has any information connected to these offences, who can connect these males with a similar vehicle, or who believes they may have been the victim of a similar crime and have not yet reported it should contact Dc Steve Binks on 0845 408 7000 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

The police have also provided a number of guidlines for people to follow to prevent them falling victim to this kind of offence. These include: fitting and using a security chain, confirming the identity of callers before inviting them in, and checking the credentials of callers with the company they claim to work for.