Pensioner loses £2,000 to conmen

The victim was approached at his home in St Leonards last Tuesday, April 27, by two men who said they were working on the property next door and they had discovered a problem with his drains.

They told him they needed 2,000 so they could hire the right equipment to deal with the leak.

The victim was panicked and agreed to hand over the cash as soon as he could.

He took his blue BMW to meet one of the men in Battle Road between 1.30pm and 2pm '“ the suspect is said to be white, aged between 18 and 20 skinny with short fair hair.

Later that afternoon the victim met the second thief in St Matthews Gardens at about 3.30pm '“ he is described as white, in his mid 20s, round faced and of stocky build.

Police believe the same thieves were involved in a similar incident in Bexhill later that day and are warning homeowners to be wary of bogus tradesmen.

Detective Constable Michael Pearson said: "We are linking this with a number of other similar crimes recently across Sussex and adjoining counties.

"We would like to speak to anyone who may have seen the offenders when the money was handed over, or anyone who had tradesmen call at their door unexpectedly around that time.

"Any information could be vital."

And PC Duncan Cleverley said: "People should always be wary of callers offering trades or building work at the door.

"If you are in doubt about any callers then do not answer the door to them, and never hand over cash for work that you have not asked to be done in advance."

To contact DC Pearson, call 0845 6070999. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.