A man pretending to be a police officer has conned a Rossendale pensioner out of money.

The bogus caller told the victim that somebody had been arrested at the back of his property in possession of cash.

The victim allowed the conman into his home, where he tricked him into giving him a few hundred pounds.

The conman is described as white, around 5’ 6” tall and in his 40’s with short cropped fair hair.

He was clean-shaven and was wearing a dark-coloured suit.

He also had a small card that resembled a police warrant card.

The incident happened on Saturday at around 7pm in the Holcombe Road area of Helmshore.

Detective Constable Neil Scholes from Rossendale CID said, “I would appeal to anyone who was in the area and who witnessed any suspicious activity to come forward and contact us.

“This is a dreadful incident where a man has been conned out of money and the person responsible needs to be caught.

"I would urge anyone with information to get in touch with the police.

“I would also ask residents to be vigilant and only answer the door to people you know and check for photographic identification and if needs be, call the organisation where the visitor is said to be calling from if you are unsure.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Lancashire Constabulary on 0845 1 25 35 45 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.