A man in his 80s has been taken to hospital after four people pretending to be workmen forced their way into his home and attacked him with a metal bar.

The incident took place on Friday morning at around 8am in Leyland.

Officers now think the attack was linked to a second incident, which happened around an hour later in Chorley, where again, an elderly man has been targeted and was forced to withdraw money and hand it over to an offender.

Police say they have arrested four people, one at the scene and three in Blackburn, on suspicion of aggrevated burglary.

Chief Inspector Chris Abbott from the Chorley and South Ribble Neighbourhood Policing Team said: "You may have heard about an incident on Balshaw Crescent, Leyland this morning or you might see our mobile police station parked up there today and so we want to let you know what has happened and what we are doing about it.

"Unfortunately, at around 8am, the address of a man in his eighties was visited by four men purporting to be workmen wanting to carry out work on his property.

"When he declined their offer and closed the door, they went round the back of his house, smashing their way through a window.

"At this stage we don’t know how many of the group made their way in, but we do know that they searched inside and sadly, the elderly man was hit to the head with a metal bar.

"He has been taken to hospital to be treated and is in a stable condition.

"We arrested a man at the scene, and three others in the Blackburn area later this morning on suspicion of aggravated burglary.

"We have also seized an orange Honda Jazz we believe was involved.

"Unfortunately, we been made aware of a second incident, which we think is linked to the same group.

"It happened at around 9.05am on Eaves Lane, Chorley when a man has knocked at the door of a property and forced his way inside, saying that the victim owed him money.

"The victim has then gone to a nearby shop and withdrawn cash, handing it over to the suspect.

"To have targeted these elderly, vulnerable people in their homes, where they should feel and be most safe, is truly appalling and especially callous.

"I want to reassure you that we are treating what happened extremely seriously.

"Thankfully we were able to make arrests quickly and as a result, four men have been detained in custody.

"I appreciate that these incidents will have caused concern in the community and so I would like to reassure people that we have extra officers in Leyland and Chorley, close to these crimes took place, for anyone with information or concerns to come and speak to us.

"I would like to remind people have lots of advice on our website on doorstep/ rogue trader type crime for you to follow or to share with any vulnerable or elderly friends and family."

Anyone worried about these type of crimes should follow this advice:

• Never agree to have any work done as a result of a cold call. Don't make snap decisions and don't be pressurised into having the job done.

• If you think work needs doing to your home, get written quotes from two or three traders, detailing the work to be done and a final price. Never rely solely on a mobile phone number.

• Ask friends and relatives to recommend a reputable business.

• Only pay in full once the work is completed to your satisfaction. You may be asked to pay money up front for trader's materials, ensure this only covers the cost of those materials never pay the full amount in advance.

• Check the identity of all callers to your home. Ask for photo identification even if the caller claims to be from a utility company, the police or local authority. Check it carefully with the telephone number in the phone book, not the number on the ID. All genuine officials are issued with identification that they carry with them. If you are worried, do not answer the door.

• Do not keep large amounts of money in your home no matter how well you think it is hidden. Volunteering to pay large amounts in cash may be an indication that you may have more cash on the premises.

A police spokesperson said: "We know that at the moment, the elderly and vulnerable are home more and so are easy targets for criminals.

"Please check-in with people like this that you know so they are not completely isolated."

If you know anyone in the South Ribble and Chorley area who are especially vulnerable or may have been a victim of this type of crime, please let police know and they can speak to them.

If you have any information about the incidents described, please either approach an officer or ring 101 quoting incident reference 223 of Friday January 22 (Leyland aggravated burglary) or 315 of Friday January 22 (Chorley incident).