POLICE are warning Andover's elderly residents to stay vigilant following a spate of pickpocket style thefts.

The warning comes after several thefts within Andover town centre and the surrounding supermarket car parks.

Police say thieves are targeting elderly people and are using a variety of tactics to pickpocket both cash and bank cards.

A spokesman for the police said: "Thieves will enter a bank and stand close behind an elderly customer so that they can observe the quantity of cash being withdrawn, and where the cash is placed.

"They will then follow the elderly customer out of the bank, and pickpocket them of the cash.

"Similarly, thieves will observe elderly customers entering their PIN number at a cash point, and then subsequently pickpocket their bank card as they leave the bank.

"In other cases, elderly people have been engaged in conversation in car parks as they leave a supermarket.

"At some point during this conversation they will have their bank card pick pocketed.

"A short time later, large cash withdrawals will be made from the victims account; the thief most likely having stood behind the victim whilst they paid for their shopping so that the PIN number could be obtained."

The amounts stolen have varied from £270 to over £2,000.

Police are visiting all banks/building societies/shops in Andover and leaving supplies of lanyards (which can be used to attach bags to the person) and advisory leaflets for issue to vulnerable people.