POLICE are seeking to clamp down on crime and reassure residents after a "slight spike" in burglaries in Prestwich.

Officers from Greater Manchester Police's Special's Unit say they have stepped up high visibility and plain clothes patrols following the incidents.

The town, in particular the area around Bury New Road, has seen a prolific spate of crimes in recent months, with many elderly victims falling prey to offenders.

In one recent incident, a 77-year-old woman was confronted by a masked man on the upstairs landing of her York Street home, just before 7am on September 30.

The raider then tied her hands and feet, and demanded money and PIN numbers for her bank cards, before fleeing from the scene with stolen cash, bank cards and jewellery.

The next morning, another victim, a 28-year-old woman, was similarly terrorised at her nearby home in Bury New Road, Salford, at about 4.30am, in what police say was a linked attack.

In August an 86-year-old woman was attacked and burgled as she slept at her home in Bury New Road, Prestwich.

She had awoken to find a man who covered her mouth and demanded money before feeling with the purse from her handbag.

As the woman tried to raise the alarm, she fell and hit her head. She was treated at the scene by paramedics.

The same month, police warned Prestwich homeowners to be on their guard against thieves after a number of daytime burglaries in the area around Scholes Lane.

The town also fell victim to a similar series of burglaries, targeting rear doors and windows, earlier this year.

While back in May two men were charged in connection with a carjacking in Duckworth Road.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.