A vigilant pensioner cornered a distraction burglar by getting him to return to her house later that day when police were waiting for him.

The woman became suspicious when she was approached by a man who offered to sell her a home alarm system.

Telling him she would think about the offer, she asked him to return later, before calling the police who informed Walsall Trading Standards. Officers attended the home and arrested the man when he returned.

A woman claiming to represent the same company was also reported to officers and later arrested. Both have been released on bail.

West Midlands Police are championing the arrests after launching Operation Doorstop in August.

In a separate theft, two women claiming to sell jewellery called at a Moxley home on Friday and stole £3,000, while a man claiming to be from the water board tricked his way into an elderly woman’s Willenhall home and stole a bag containing £100.