Police search for 'gardener' after break-in

POLICE are searching for a man who walked into a family home and stole money and then told the owners he was a gardener.

The man, thought to be in his mid-40s, rang the doorbell of the property on Bellevue Road, in Broughton, at around 11:30am on Wednesday.

When nobody answered, he opened the unlocked front door and stole a small amount of money from the sitting room.

One of the homeowners was upstairs at the time but thought her husband, who was in the garden, had answered the door when the bell sounded.

She said: "When I came downstairs, the door was open and the man was standing there. I asked who he was and he said he was a gardener before quickly leaving."

A police spokesman said an investigation was under way.

He said: "At this time, we would advise all homeowners to be wary of bogus callers.

"This advice is particularly important in the summer months, where there is traditionally a rise in bogus caller incidents."

The intruder had dark hair and was wearing a checked jacket.