Elderly man conned out of £10k for pathway (From Sutton Guardian)

Wallington man duped by cowboy builders

1:40pm Tuesday 5th March 2013 in News By James Pepper

An elderly man was conned out £10k by bogus builders who tore up the path they had already built to allow him to get from his front door to the street easier.

Builders asked for £500 on February 18 to complete the pathway at this address off Woodcote Road, Wallington, which he was happy with.

But on February 28, the builders returned to the 73-year-olds house to tell them what they had built did not meet council regulations and that a new one needed to be built.

The elderly man, who has limited mobility, was told by the group of men, all of whom spoke with Irish accents, that they needed a refundable £10,000 deposit towards a special machine to help them with the work.

The resident agreed and handed over two cash payments - the first was for £6,000 cash - followed by another for £4,000.

After the original pathway had been dug up and concrete slabs left littering the front garden, the suspects made off with their £10,000.

They have not returned to complete the work.

The suspects are described as four to six white males - all aged 20-40. They had a white Transit type van with a ‘62’ plate which possibly had an orange light on the roof.

They may also have had a blue pick up truck similar to Nissan Warrior.

If you have any information about these workmen, please call Sutton Police station on 101. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

PC Duncan Harris, of Sutton's Crime Prevention Team, urged residents not to do business or give money to unknown or unexpected callers.

Residents who are suspicious of any callers should keep the callers shut outside and call police immediately on 999.

If you require building work, Sutton Council run a Safer Sutton Trader Scheme, which has been introduced so that local residents, who employ traders to carry out work on their homes, can be confident that certain standards will be met.

For more information call 020 8770 5070, or visit: