AN ELDERLY lady has been left distraught after her house was burgled by two men falsely claiming they needed to check her cooker.

The burglars targeted the woman’s house in the run up to Christmas – Wednesday December 19.

They knocked on the door of the victim, distracting her while they searched her house in North Place on Hitchin’s Westmill estate.

The two men made off with cash. Police aren’t revealing the amount, although they have said it is “substantial”.

The woman, who is in her 80s, was left uninjured.

Detective sergeant Mark Clawson, from distraction burglary team Operation Manhunt, said: “A substantial amount of money was taken from the victim who was powerless to stop these men searching through her house.”

The two offenders are described as white, between 20 to 30 years old.

They were wearing navy coloured boiler suits and large black boots.

“I would like to appeal to anyone who was approached that day by these two men,” added DS Clawson.

“They would have been very distinctive due to the boiler suits they were wearing. Did they call at your door? Did you see them in the area acting suspiciously?

“Any information you provide could be vital to our investigation.”

Anyone with information can call the non-emergency police number 101.