Police are hunting a man they believe is responsible for a series of burglaries while posing as a bogus utility worker.

The suspect, thought to be in his forties, is believed to have burgled at least three elderly women in the borough in the past two weeks.

At about 8pm on May 30, a man knocked on the door of an 88-year-old woman in Moss Hall Grove, North Finchley.

The suspect, described as 5ft 6in tall with short hair and wearing a green pullover, entered the house claiming to be working for a utility company.

He told the woman she had water coming down the walls and said she needed to turn the mains off.

When the victim asked for identification, he ran out of the house with some money.

Last Friday a 67-year-old female was burgled in Leecroft Road, Barnet, at about 11.20am.

The caller knocked on the victim's door asking to check her water and then looked under the kitchen sink.

When he left, the woman noticed her handbag had moved and her money had been taken.

A similar incident occurred later in nearby Woodville Road.

The latest burglaries follow an attack on 81-year-old Ann Coomber by three men claiming to be water inspectors last month.

She was pinned down in her hallway while the intruders ransacked her house.

Detective chief inspector Julie Bidewell, of Barnet Police, said people who commit these crimes tend to target the elderly.

"I would like to emphasise that we will investigate this type of crime which preys on the vulnerable in our communities, and will push for the hardest sentence possible for those found guilty of such an offence," she added.

Police are continuing to investigate the incidents and are appealing for anyone with information to call them on 020 8200 1212.