Gloucestershire house raiders steal thousands from elderly man

A man aged in his late 80s had thousands of pounds stolen when a group of burglars broke into his home and made threats using weapons.

The five men had their faces covered when they broke into the house near Wotton-under-Edge at about 20:00 BST on Thursday.

They threatened the man and pushed him around, Gloucestershire Police said.

"He was not physically injured, but he is very shaken by this ordeal," PC Samuel Hall said.

"While we're trying to piece together what happened and who is responsible, we're keen to hear from anyone who has spotted any suspicious activity in the area recently - such as vehicles they haven't seen before or people scoping out properties."

A side door to the property was forced open to gain entry, police said.

As well as stealing cash, the group searched the home and stole a safe, which was empty, a wallet, jewellery and a jewellery box.

Police believe the raiders used one or more vehicles to get to the house.

PC Hall added: "We're urging anyone with dashcam or CCTV to review their cameras between 19:00 BST and 20:30 BST in the areas of Wotton-under-Edge and Charfield to see if there is anything out of the ordinary which has been captured."

Officers have been doing house-to-house inquiries in the area.

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