Businesses targeted in rogue trader scam

Police have warned people to beware of rogue traders after two separate incidents in north Worcestershire.

In both cases, people claiming to be workmen made unannounced visits to local businesses and offered to carry out resurfacing work.

They did substandard jobs before demanding to be paid thousands of pounds and becoming aggressive and threatening when payment was refused.

West Mercia Police are advising people not to deal with any cold callers offering resurfacing work.

On Tuesday afternoon, a haulage firm in Marlbrook, near Bromsgrove, was visited by workmen who offered to do a "small amount" of resurfacing work for £50.

They laid just 20 sq m (215 sq ft) before "aggressively" raising the price to £7,500.

When staff offered to pay £1,500, they were threatened with violence and received repeated aggressive phone calls.

On the same day, a pub in the Farfield area of Kidderminster was called by traders falsely claiming to be highways workers who said they had some "spare tarmac" they could lay on the car park.

Staff turned down the offer but the workmen turned up anyway before doing a "substandard" job on the car park and demanding £8,000 for it, with £5,500 due by the following morning.

Sgt Dan Townsend said: "We would advise people not to deal with anyone who visits their premises uninvited.

"You should not feel bullied, threatened, or pressurised into buying anything or having any work carried out."

The force said it had advice for those falling victim to scams on its fraud web pages.

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