AN 82-YEAR-OLD Plympton woman has sent out a warning to others after she was conned out of £4,000 by a bogus roofer.

The Mead resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she was taken in by a polite and smartly- dressed man who pretended to carry out two days of work on her leaky garage roof.

In fact he did nothing.

Police are now hunting the conman who, after being paid the agreed £4,000 in cash – all the victim's savings – then returned demanding an extra £1,000.

The victim went to the bank to withdraw the money but the police were called and the man disappeared.

"If I could get my hands on him, I'd like to strangle him," she said.

"It's a despicable thing he's done. He's obviously preying on elderly people and I'm not having it.

"I want everyone to know so they don't make the same mistake as me."

Accompanied by a teenage youth, the man, who spoke with an Irish accent, first arrived at her house at 8am on Friday, November 20.

Without thinking, she said: "Can you do my garage roof?"

After four hours' labour over two days, he told her it was complete and asked for £7,000.

She showed him her savings book which showed just £4,000, and he agreed it was enough.

"I thought it was a bit steep," she said, "but at least it's a job done and he seemed so plausible, like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth."

She paid him in cash. However, he returned the following day requesting a further £1,000 and when the victim went to the bank, staff told her to call police.

"I'm furious with myself. As soon as he asked for more I knew I'd been conned," she said. "He was actually on completely the wrong part of the roof, but I was busy in the kitchen and trusted him – he seemed so genuine."

Dc Rebecca Whatmore said: "These criminals target vulnerable people in areas with money, and often bungalows where retired people might live.

"People should always check ID and get work done by reputable companies."

The suspect is described as short and slim, with lots of dark hair and a fringe, and a roundish, clean-shaven face. The youth accompanying him is described as slim, 6ft tall, in his late teens, and wearing faded dark overalls. Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 08452 777444 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 quoting reference EP/09/1425.

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