A 91-YEAR-OLD widow who had thousands of pounds stolen from her Southampton home may have been the victim of rogue tradesman, detectives say.

Burglars plundered the cash when they burst into the frail pensioner’s home in Millbrook, while she slept.

But officers have revealed that the elderly woman was repeatedly approached by a gang of men claiming to be gardeners in the days before the raid.

They suspect the men are operating across the county and are urging pensioners to remain vigilant of cold callers to prevent them falling prey to more burglaries.

Three men pulled up outside her home in a white unmarked van on three occasions to ask whether she needed any work doing.

The woman – who was born and raised in the house – eventually gave in to their requests and they set to work.

She paid for their services but was very disappointed with the work.

Kitchen drawer The following evening someone smashed the glass panelling of her back door and headed straight to the kitchen drawer where she kept a large amount of cash for emergencies.

They broke in between 2am and 8.30am on Sunday, December 15 and police staff investigator Kat Harding said: “We also would like to be contacted by anyone in that neighbourhood who had cold callers asking for gardening work in the week or two before this burglary.

“This woman gave work to some men, and it is just possible that they saw her go to a kitchen drawer to get money to pay them.”

One of the men is described as being white, in his late 50s, 5ft 6in, with very short hair and wore ordinary clothes.

His two accomplices were both younger and one was much taller than the other.

All three spoke with local accents.

Witnesses, or anyone who is approached by traders matching their description should contact Shirley CID on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.