Three men falsely claiming to be gas engineers have been knocking on people’s doors in Stevenage today in what is thought to be an attempted robbery scam.

Stevenage Borough Council has issued a warning on its Facebook page after residents living in its council houses reported the trio arriving at their properties unannounced with no identification, claiming to be from the Liberty Group gas company.

The borough council says Liberty Group engineers always carry identification and will always book appointments with residents before calling.

One woman posted on Facebook to say a man who looked about 30 with short brown hair and a beard called at her house.

He had a Liberty Group badge and uniform but no Stevenage Borough Council badge.

When she asked to see his ID badge he went back to his van and claimed to be phoning the council to ask for ID.

He then drove off, but 10 minutes later two other engineers arrived and one shouted through the letter box that there was a major gas leak and the woman should let them in.

One is described as 25 years old with short brown hair and the other as mid-40s with short brown hair.

One of the men was wearing a Liberty uniform but the other was in a navy polo shirt.

The council’s statement reads: “We are aware of reports of three men claiming to be Liberty Gas engineers knocking on people’s doors asking to carry out gas and safety checks inside the property.

“If they knock on your door please do not let them in and call the police. Any call outs by Liberty Gas are made by appointment only and engineers will always carry identification. Please contact us or Liberty Gas if you are unsure.”

If you have been targeted you can phone the police on 101, or 999 in an emergency.

To contact the council call 01438 242242, while Liberty Group’s head office number is 0151 549 191.