A WAR veteran last night told how a gang of thieves posing as policemen stormed his house on Armistice Day, stealing his savings.

It was one of three burglaries in which men have posed as police officers to steal money from elderly victims in 24 hours.

On Thursday at around 6.15pm, 95-year-old Edward Swann had sat down to read a book when he heard a knock on the door.

He was confronted by four men, who claimed to be police officers looking for drugs.

Mr Swann said: “They pushed me forward into a chair and searched the house, turning it upside down.

“Each time I tried to get up, they pushed me down but I wanted to see what was going on.

“I couldn’t do anything.”

Mr Swann, who lives alone in a bungalow in Carterton, said the four men were in their 20s.

They were not wearing uniforms. The one appearing to be in charge wore a dark hooded top and a mac. All wore grey or dirty white gloves.

He said: “They started throwing things all over. They turned the bed upside down and threw stuff out of the drawers.

“They knew exactly what they were doing.

“It was almost as if they’d rehearsed it.”

The thieves stole about £100 from his wallet, including his pension, 100 euros and £200 in 50 pence coins that he had collected for years in a jar.

He said: “When they’d gone, I went to chase after them but it was very dark and I couldn’t see anything.”

Mr Swann served as an army electrician during the Second World War, serving in North Africa and India.

His wife, Mary, died in 1996.

He added: “I want to help other elderly people and warn them that this could happen to them.

“It’s their welfare I’m worried about.”

Later the same day at 7.40pm, three men claiming to be police officers entered the house of an 82-year-old woman in Oakley Road, Horton-cum-Studley.

The men left via a patio door, stealing cash from the woman’s handbag.

On Wednesday an elderly woman living in Monmouth Road, off Abingdon Road, Oxford, woke to find a man in her bedroom. He told her he was a police officer and left with several hundred pounds. This man was about 5ft 6in tall, aged between 18 and 20 and had an Irish accent.

Det Insp Steve Duffy, from Banbury CID, said: “Thankfully no-one was hurt in these burglaries, but we want to ensure that whoever is responsible for these crimes is behind bars as soon as possible.”

He urged anyone with information to call him on 08458 505505 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.