PARENTS were put on a baby snatch alert today as it was revealed that bogus officials entered a house after telling a dad he had been mistreating his child.

Stunned Michael Rigby found the man and woman so convincing that he let them into his home and they carried out an "inspection."

Now police have warned parents to be extra vigilant and refuse to let anyone in unless they have identification.

Mr Rigby, of Lytham Road, Blackburn, said the sinister duo who claimed to be from the NSPCC, knew his name and that he had a seven-month-old daughter.

He said: "They called me by name and said they had anonymous information that my daughter, Hannah, was being kept in a dirty house.

"They came in, looked round and then left. Luckily Hannah was staying with her nanna at the time. I was obviously very upset and rang my wife at work and her boss said to get in touch with the NSPCC as he had heard that this had happened in Yorkshire.

"The NSPCC said they knew nothing about the reports and contacted the police." The man is white, aged 45, about 6ft tall, of medium build, clean shaven with dark brown short hair going slightly grey.

He wore a smart grey suit, collar and tie and seemed well spoken and educated.

The woman is also white, around 35 to 40, about 5ft 5in tall, of slim build, with red/blonde hair in a collar-length bob style. She wore tinted glasses, had a long beige coat, and she wore quite a lot of make up and smelled of strong perfume.

They left in a white car, possibly a Ford Escort, with two doors.

Detective Inspector Terry Richardson, of Blackburn police, said: "As far as we are aware this is a lone incident but it has sinister implications and we are treating it very seriously."

Marcus Erooga, team manager of the Lancashire East Protection Team at the NSPCC, said: "The public should be aware that anybody coming to the door would have NSPCC identification and they should feel free to contact the officers before admitting them."

Anyone with information can contact Blackburn police on 01254-51212.

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