A Facebook campaign has been launched to offer a reward after neighbours on a Huntingdon housing estate learned an 86-year-old man had been threatened with a screwdriver by men who broke into his home.

Police have described the incident, which happened in Poplar Close just after 6pm on November 4, and involved two, or possibly three men, who told the elderly man they were police officers, as “despicable”. The men were not dressed in uniform and did not show ID, but made a search of the house and left empty handed.

Paula Proctor, of Norfolk Road, is asking people to pledge money for the reward, and told The Hunts Post it “broke her heart” when she heard the news.

“I grew up here and I remember this man when I was a child. He is a lovely old gent who always has a smile for everyone. I was brought up to respect the elderly and it literally breaks my heart to think someone could do this.”

Paula is asking people to contact police or Crimstoppers if they know anything and says the reward, which currently stands at £200, will be paid to anyone who has information which leads to a conviction.

Chief inspector Laura Hunt, said: “Aggravated burglaries are significant crimes; crimes that have the potential of causing a lot of harm to community members, and, of course to home-owners. They are not a common crime; certainly, not in Huntingdonshire. In 2015 there have been four such crimes to date.”

Some residents have also expressed concerns about what they describe as a lack of visible policing on the Oxmoor, but police have confirmed they are increasing patrols in the area.

“There is a police operation currently seeking to respond to the issues and part of the operation includes the deployment of additional police patrols in the area in both a plain-clothed and uniformed capacity,” added chief inspector Hunt.

“Just over the course of the weekend (November 7/8) one man who has been contributing to the problems on the Oxmoor has been arrested, charged and remanded. Owing to this age, he cannot be named.

“For both issues, the police would welcome any information. We most certainly are interested in these issues; we are committed to attacking criminality and both issues are examples of criminality affecting people in the communities that we want to effectively respond to. We will not tolerate people not feeling safe in their communities.”

The offenders are described as English, between 5ft 7ins and 5ft 10ins in their late teens to early twenties. One was wearing a dark coloured baseball cap and both were wearing zip up tops and dark trousers.

INFO: Contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.