Police officers will be delivering fifty hampers to elderly people in Watford who are alone or have been victims of crime.

The hampers have been assembled by children from Francis Coombe Academy in Garston and will be delivered by PCSOs and the police cadets over the coming days.

The parcels, which are filled with food, were funded by Pitney Bows and contain donations from Tesco as well as fighting advice.

North Watford police sergeant, Clare Ramirez, said: "These hampers give us the opportunity to bring some festive cheer to some of our most vulnerable residents and make sure they are safe over the Christmas period, which can often be a lonely and difficult time.

"Whilst we’re handing the hampers out we’ll be spending time with the resident to do a security survey and, if we find they could do with some extra support we’ll make sure they are referred to the correct organisation, such as the Hertfordshire Home Security Service, Age UK or Hertfordshire County Council."