Masked thugs pretending to be from the police tried to barge into a house.
Detectives are now hunting the culprits, who struck at around 5.20am on Sunday, February 9.
A Cheshire police spokesman said three males knocked at the front door of a house on Cameron Road in Widnes and shouted "it’s Cheshire police".
When the occupant opened the door, the gang tried to barge inside.
Seeing the group were not the police, the occupants pushed the males back and shut the door.
The gang then fled on foot.
The spokesman said two of them were wearing high-visibility clothes and one was wearing dark clothes.
At least two of them were wearing balaclavas.
Enquiries in relation to the incident are ongoing and detectives are appealing for anyone who believes they saw the males, either before they knocked on the front door or as they were fleeing the scene, to come forward.
They also want to speak to anyone who thinks they may know who the males are, or have CCTV or dashcam footage of them.
A Widnes CID spokesman said: “I would like to reassure residents that this is believed to be an isolated incident and we are determined to establish the identities of the males and what they were doing at the address.
“Enquiries are ongoing and I urge anyone who was in the area and saw anything suspicious to get in touch with us here at Widnes Police Station.
“We also want to speak to anyone who believes they may know who the males are, or have footage of them.”
Anyone with information or CCTV or dashcam footage that may be relevant to the investigation should call Cheshire Constabulary on 101, quoting IML 632558, give the details via www.cheshire.police.uk or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
