THE home of a 75-year-old man was raided by a couple claiming to be his new next door neighbours.

The thieves struck in Troutbeck Crescent, Blackpool, at 10.50am on Monday, July 16. One distracted the pensioner by asking to see the water boiler while the other searched his bedroom, smashed a wardrobe door and stole property. The male thief was 5ft 9ins, with a medium build, short dark swept-back hair and was wearing dark clothing.

His female accomplice was an inch shorter, also with a medium build, and had black hair. She was wearing a denim jacket and jeans and had bruises on her neck.

A TRIO of teenage thieves escaped after taking an Alucan chrome scooter from a 12-year-old boy as he played in Blackpool's Stanley Park Skateboard Park.

They approached him at 2.30pm on Wednesday, July 11. One was 14, white, wearing a white baseball cap, white trousers and riding a BMX bike with stunt pegs. He was with another white 14-year-old who had a blond curtain-style hair cut and a plastercast on his left arm. He was riding a rusty bike. The third boy was 15 with very short hair and wearing white trousers and had a red bike with stunt pegs.

TWO teenager girls stole a purse from a group of tourists from Nottingham as they enjoyed a drink in the Counting House Pub, Talbot Square, Blackpool, on Saturday, July 14, at 11pm. Both thieves were aged between 19 and 20, one was of medium build with straight blonde shoulder length hair, and wearing black trousers and a blue sequined top. Her accomplice was thin with long straight blonde hair.

A FEMALE thief moved into action when a woman left her bag on the floor while she bought goods at the PDSA charity store in Abingdon Street, Blackpool.

The thief sneaked up behind the shopper and stole a purse from the bag. She was white, aged between 28 and 30, 5ft 2ins to 5ft 4ins tall, slim with long dark tied-back hair and had a Liverpool accent. She was wearing a white T-shirt, dark tracksuit bottoms with a stripe down the sides and dark trainers.

A TEENAGER was punched in the face and set upon by three men as he walked along Blackpool Promenade at 5.30pm on Thursday, July 12.

The gang took his Nokia 8210 mobile telephone. One of the robbers was white, aged 22 to 23 and 6ft tall, with a medium build, short brown hair and was wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans. Another was aged 23, about 5ft 9ins tall with a large build and short dark hair and was wearing a grey T-shirt and dark tracksuit bottoms. The third was aged 20, 6ft tall, slim with short brown hair.

A CYCLIST was knocked off his Concept Ascender mountain bike by a robber who struck in Waterloo Road at its junction with Bolton Street at 1pm on Saturday, July 14. The offender was white, in his mid 20s, wearing a light brown jumper, blue tracksuit bottoms and a dark baseball cap.