Fraudsters who handed out bogus fines while pretending to be working for trading standards have admitted to their scam.

The men, who are all from south east London, carried out the scam at the end of 2013.

First a woman, 83, was visited by a man at her Wallington home claiming to work for trading standards.

He said paperwork with her name and address had been found amongst hazardous waste found dumped, and this evidence was enough to merit her paying disposal costs.

She made bank transfers of £4,500 and £8,000, but when she was asked for a third payment she became suspicious and called Sutton Council, who told her she had been conned.

A second man, aged 85, was contacted a few days later and told complaints had been made about asbestos in his roof.

He was told to pay £4,000 by money transfer into a named account.

A police investigation linked the cases after establishing both victims were told to make payments into the same account.

Marc Wellard, 24, Joe Docherty, 24, Liam Ellis, 24 and Sean Manning, 19, appeared at Croydon Crown Court on July 14 having all previously pleaded guilty to counts of conspiring to acquire/use/possess criminal property.

Wellard, of Baker Crescent, Dartford was handed 14 months in jail.

His accomplices all avoided jail. Docherty, of of Cobland Road, Grove Park, was sentenced to 23 weeks imprisonment suspended for 18 months and ordered to do 160 hours community work.

Ellis, Mottingham Road, Mottingham was sentenced to 17 weeks jail, suspended for 18 months and ordered to do 120 hours unpaid work while Manning, Rotherhithe was sentenced to 12 weeks imprisonment suspended for 18 months.

The police advice is to keep out unexpected callers and make sure they have ID.

For advice on rogue traders contact Citizens Advice consumer service on 08454 04 05 06 or visit: www.citizensadvice.org.uk