Detective Chief Inspector Chris Hogben, of Kent Police, said he was appalled by a series of crimes against the elderly over the past week.

The oldest victim was a 101-year-old woman from Folkestone, whose purse was stolen when she tried to help a man who claimed his son had kicked a football into her garden on Friday.

A 72-year-old woman had �50 stolen in a similar incident at her home in Sellinge.

And a woman aged 94 had �40 taken from her home in Folkestone, again by someone claiming to have kicked a ball into her garden.

DCI Hogben described the thieves as "cowardly" and "vile" and asked the public for help to bring them to justice.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Kent Police.