A weekly paper has won praise from police after an article prevented a pensioner from becoming a victim of burglary.

The Newham Recorder ran an article on distraction burglaries in which the police issued CCTV images of two suspects who were targeting elderly residents.

And police said this had prevented another victim of burglary after an elderly person had a page from the paper with the story on by the front door, increasing their awareness when they were targeted.

Detective Inspector Andrew Packer, who is leading burglary investigations in Newham, said: “We were informed of another attempted burglary which was prevented by the victim having a page from the paper by the front door which heightened their awareness and prevented a substantive offence. The system works.”

Editor Colin Grainger added: “Local newspapers have a vital role in the communities they serve and this is a brilliant example of the impact they can have on the lives of their readers.

“We are very glad to have played a part in preventing an elderly resident from becoming a burglary victim.”