A DRYBROOK wo­man in her 80s had a substantial amount of cash stolen from her home in a distraction theft.

The woman answered the door to a man claiming to be from the water board at around 12.30pm last Thursday (June 1).

He told the victim he needed to check the water pressure and told her to empty the contents under her kitchen and bathroom sink so he could access the pipes.

While they were both in the bathroom with the door closed behind them, it is believed a second offender entered the premises.

A spokesman for Gloucestershire Police said: “A substantial amount of money was stolen from the property and the victim has been left very shaken up by the ordeal.”

The man spoke in a strong Irish accent and is described as white, aged in his 30s, 5ft 6ins in height, of medium build and he was clean shaven.

The offender was wearing a beige or light grey baseball cap with ‘Formula 1’ printed on the front, with a red and white checked shirt and possibly shorts.

It is believed the man was seen leaving the premises in Morse Road, Drybrook in a white 15 plate Volkswagen, which could have been a Golf with a twin exhaust.

Anyone who saw anything suspicious should contact 101 and quote incident number 263 of 1 June.

Gloucestershire Police advise that if someone you do not know or trust or a business caller who has not made an appointment knocks, do not open the door.

If you do answer the door to unexpected callers, ask them to leave and come back later at an agreed time when you can have someone with you.

In the meantime, check their credentials by calling the organisation they claim to represent – looking up the number in the phone book rather than relying on the one on their card as this could simply put you through to an accomplice of a potential offender.

The golden rule is ‘if in doubt, keep them out’.