People in Royston have been told to be vigilant after a stream of incidents involving suspicious people claiming to be from the RSPCA turning up at houses unexpectedly, sometimes without identification.

There have been numerous incidents reported to police. On March 15, a woman called to report two suspicious people – a man and a woman – knocking on a door in Green Drift at around 8pm. The informant stated that they were wearing what looked like RSPCA jackets and when officers attended, there was no sign of the pair.

On March 16, police received a report that a man had knocked at an address in Barnack Grove two days prior and claimed to be from the RSPCA, but did not show any identification, and on March 24 a woman contacted police to report that two men claiming to be from the RSPCA had knocked on her door. Officers attended and searched the area but there was no trace of the men.

On March 12, a woman reported seeing two people walking around the Swift Close area in RSPCA tabards.

A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said: “It is of great concern that there would appear to be individuals posing as RSPCA inspectors in the area and we would appeal to anyone with further information about bogus RSPCA inspectors to contact their local police. The RSPCA wants to reassure the public that all official RSPCA inspectors and animal collection officers carry proof of ID, which will be shown on request.

“This is also the case for people fundraising on behalf of the RSPCA. Anyone who has suspicions about a caller at their door is urged not allow access to their property or animals and to contact the police.”

A spokeswoman for Herts police said: “We would always urge people to be vigilant around unexpected callers. All genuine callers should be wearing identity cards which verify who they are. If you are unsure, do not be afraid to ask the caller to wait outside while you telephone the company or charity to check whether the caller is working on their behalf. Our advice is simple, if you aren’t sure, don’t open the door.”