Burglars pretending to be policemen forced their way into a terrified woman’s home because they thought they could smell cannabis, a neighbour has claimed.
But it is believed the pungent aroma came from an innocent garden plant – moss phlox – which has been mistaken for the class B drug.
One of the thieves knocked on the woman’s door, on the Templars estate in Witham, at 1pm on Thursday, claiming to be a labourer.
When she refused to let him in, he then claimed to be an undercover policeman.

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