Two houses were burgled, and people were attacked in just a day apart.  

In an incident on the evening of Tuesday (January 21) in Montagu Road at 9.30pm, a woman 64, and her husband, 81, were sitting in their living room when they heard the glass in the back door being smashed.

Five men stormed into the room armed with items including a shovel and screwdriver, where they demanded gold and money.

Two of the men held the elderly couple while the others searched the house.

During the incident, the elderly man was struck several times with a shovel, and the woman was sprayed in the face with cleaning fluid.

The burglars stole gold jewellery and cash, before fleeing the scene in a vehicle which is believed to be a Mercedes car.

Both victims suffer from poor health and were left traumatised by the incident, they were taken to hospital as a precaution.

Police say the suspects were described as white males who spoke with Eastern European accents. Their faces were covered, and they wore all black.

Once police attended the scene, they discovered that another house in Bromley Road heard bangs at their door and men talking about kicking their door down at 8.50pm.

They were scared off by the people in the house.

On Wednesday (January 22) another attempted burglary happened at around 9pm in Beckenham Gardens.

Several people in Beckenham Gardens heard a loud noise and saw the front door of a house, whose residents were not home at the time, was off its hinges and several men were running in the house.

One of the men was carrying a suitcase and a safe and others were armed with a large pole and a screwdriver.

Neighbours confronted the men and one neighbour was hit by the pole and the suitcase was thrown at another’s head.

Neither neighbours were hurt but the suspects escaped.

They were described as three males wearing dark clothing. At least one of the males was white. They were wearing balaclavas and gloves.

They made off in a silver or white vehicle which had a tinted window.

Detective Inspector Paul Ridley from North Area CID is leading the investigation. He said: “To target elderly individuals in their own home and subjecting them to this level of fear and intimidation is absolutely despicable. The use of weapons, particularly striking a frail and elderly male with a shovel, was wholly unnecessary and the incident has terrified the victims.

“The fact that these incidents have occurred in consecutive nights, at around the same time and only ten minutes away from each other with assailants carrying weapons is strikingly similar and this why I believe they are linked.

“The men have used a vehicle to arrive and escape in both cases and were seen making off at speed.

“If you witnessed the offenders arriving or leaving or know who is responsible then I would urge you to come forward as a priority. I am particularly keen if anyone has CCTV or dashcam footage from the areas of these incident – you may have captured those responsible either arriving or fleeing the scene. These are callous individuals and I want these dangerous men caught.

“I can reassure residents that increased patrols have been deployed in the area. These burglaries appear to be targeted at owners of Asian gold and I would strongly recommend that residents review their home security in line with the burglary prevention advice which is available on the Metropolitan Police website.”

Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is urged to contact North Area CID via 101, or by tweeting @MetCC, or anonymously on 0800 555 111