RESIDENTS of Clydach have warned other local people to be on the lookout for bogus cold callers knocking on doors during the festive season, following a series of incidents on Sunday.

Home-owners in the Haulfryn area were already on an increased state of alert following a recent burglary and on Sunday three residents reported a suspicious caller operating in the area.

Steve Price said, "Following a recent burglary in our street, we've all been a little unnerved.

"And on Sunday night, in the dark and pouring rain, I received a knock at the front door and I opened the door to find a young Asian man standing there who informed me that he was an ex-convict, selling items to get on the straight and narrow.

"He flashed a home-made ID card at me and this made me even more suspicious. So having sent him away I quickly called 101 and informed the police of the incident."

Another nearby resident Gareth Butcher had a similar encounter just after 6.40pm and said, "I opened the door to an Asian man in his late teens or early twenties who was wearing a rucksack on his back.

"I was surprised by the visitor, especially as he had a long trek up the drive to the front door.

"At first I had a little difficulty in understanding him, but he claimed he was a young offender from Middlesborough who was trying to get back to living life without returning to his old ways

"However he didn't try to sell me anything, and I could see that he was more concerned with looking inside the house.

"While I understand there may be legitimate organisations trying to rehabilitate young offenders, I felt this character was somewhat dubious having seen what I believed to be fake documents - a laminated letter and an identity card with a photo on it.

"Unfortunately I didn't notice the name of the organisation he purported to represent."

A third resident, after being visited by the cold caller, decided to watch the man and saw him leave a short while later in a dark coloured 4 x 4 vehicle.

Mr Butcher said that the visit was a warning shot to all residents to be on their guard.

Mr Price added, "These people appear to be legitimate on the surface, however it seems that they have come to suss you out and come back at a later date."

He made reference to a similar scam carried out recently in other areas of the UK where young people target an area by knocking at doors and claim to be ex-convicts attempting to mend their ways.

The Nottingham Knockers as they have since been called then try to sell the householder everyday household products at very high prices.

A spokesman for Gwent Police confirmed the incident and said: "We received a report of a cold caller in Haulfryn, Clydach at approximately 6.50pm on Sunday. No offences were disclosed.

"Anyone with concerns about cold calling in their area can contact their local Neighbourhood Policing Team by phone, email, or at one of the many police surgeries and PACT meetings that local officers hold.

Contact details can by found on the 'My Area' section of our website - gwent.police.uk or by calling 101."