POLICE are warning Eastleigh's senior citizens to be on their guard after a break-in targeted an elderly woman in her own home.

Raiders ransacked the bedroom of the 84-year-old Chandler's Ford woman while she sat in another room oblivious to the theft.

It was only after the gang had made its escape that she discovered her belongings had been pulled out of her bedroom furniture and strewn over her bed.

A handbag containing between £120 and £150 cash had also been taken from the bedside.

Only days before, a gang lifted a 92-year-old Bishopstoke woman off her bed while she was sleeping, so they could search for money under her mattress.

Although officers at Eastleigh CID have not officially linked the incidents, they are taking both into consideration during the separate investigations.

And they have warned the borough's elderly residents to take all sensible precautions when at home alone.

DS Mark Ashthorpe said: "Pensioners should be aware of home security. We would ask them to take normal crime prevention measures such as securing all doors and windows and getting locks fitted. Whether the incidents are linked is something we need to look at."

In both incidents, the thieves broke in through a window and police are still trying to trace the owner of a ladder used in the first break in at the terraced home in Bishopstoke's Hamilton Road. The handbag taken in the second incident was later found dumped near to the pensioner's house in Kingsway.

Police are appealing for anyone who may have seen something suspicious. Anyone with any information should contact Eastleigh CID on 0845 045 45 45.