POLICE are stepping up the hunt for three men in connection with more than 30 burglaries on the homes of elderly and vulnerable people across the region.

The serial raiders were filmed in the act of breaking into a sheltered housing complex in Eastleigh at the beginning of this month by a pensioner who had set up his own surveillance system.

The grainy but vital CCTV footage has been released by Eastleigh's burglary investigation team which is now appealing for help from anyone who recognises the burglars. They are believed to have struck at homes in Eastleigh, Chandler's Ford, Winchester, Romsey, Botley, Basingstoke, Fair Oak, Southampton and Gosport.

In some cases the raiders have told elderly householders they were police officers and on at least two occasions one of the gang claimed he had come to the assistance of pensioners after seeing two men trying to break in.

It is thought the gang, which has netted hundreds of pounds in cash plus jewellery, also posed as bogus water officials.

The camera that captured them at work had been installed just two days earlier by a resident of Leslie Loader Court in Arrow Close, Boyatt Wood, Eastleigh.

The male resident, who did not want to be identified, had placed the camera in his bedroom window following two previous raids on the sheltered home - one a distraction burglary and the other when burglars broke into an office.

The film was recorded on January 3 when 81-year-old resident Doreen Layton was confronted by a young man who kept her talking near a washroom inside Leslie Loader Court .

But when she returned to her flat, she saw another man come out of her door. He barged past her and she later found £90 had been stolen from her purse.

She said she had shouted: "What are you doing in my flat?" He replied: "Looking for my mate."

She told the Daily Echo: "It is despicable that they pick on old people's places. You would think you would be safe in sheltered accommodation from people doing this. But I do like it here, I wouldn't like to move.

"It is lucky that we had the video camera there. These people should be caught and punished. Too much of this is going on."

Police say the same night as the Boyatt Wood raid, homes of the elderly were also targeted in Fair Oak and at Botley.

Across the whole region there have been 30 plus cases. Victims describe members of the gang as in their late teens or early 20s. One is said to be fairly tall while the other two are said to be between 5ft 2in and 5ft 4in. Two of the three may be related. Anyone who can help identify the gang should contact Eastleigh police's burglary investigation team on 0845 045 4545.