THREE elderly women were tricked by bogus gas board officials in incidents which police believe may be linked.

The first happened when a man called at a house on Goldthorpe Road, Goldthorpe, stating he was from the gas board.

He told the 84-year-old resident he needed to turn off the boiler. and then asked for a cup of tea.

When the householder went into the kitchen he appeared saying he'd left something in another house and would be back soon.

About 20 minutes later she noticed a clear, money bag containing her £62 bingo winnings and a blue case with her glasses inside had been taken from her bag at the side of the sofa.

He is described as white, 5ft 4in tall, aged about 28, slim with dark, curly hair and a local accent. He was wearing dark clothing and a sleeveless, green, high-visibility jacket.

In the second, a retired woman at Judy Row, Monk Bretton, had returned home when she was duped by a man claiming he worked for 'the gas'.

He asked to check the heating and searched all the rooms then asked for a cup of tea but later said he was going next door and left.

Afterwards she discovered a purse containing £300 and bank cards was missing, along with a box of 200 cigarettes.

The offender was not in uniform but had a card or badge around his neck. He was white, aged mid to late 20s, between 5ft 5in and 5ft 8in, thin, with thick facial stubble and scruffy, dark hair. He spoke with a local accent and wore jeans and a jumper.

A third woman, aged 83, was duped at about 5.30pm at a house at Ravenholt, Worsbrough Bridge, by a man saying he needed to check the woman's appliances and boiler.

He distracted her by asking for a cuppa and then said he was going to a van and when the woman returned to the lounge she noticed her handbag, which contained between £200 and £300, had been stolen.

The offender is described as a white man, around 5ft 10in, with dark facial hair, a thin face, aged about 30 and of average build. He was wearing a high-visibility jacket.

• Anyone with information about the Goldthorpe incident should call South Yorkshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 574 of April 23; 157 of April 24 for the Monk Bretton incident and 886 of April 24 for the Worsbrough incident.