Rogue traders fleece Cosham couple of £850 after trying to violently barge into their home

Two men approached Paul Wilson, of St Matthew’s Way, Cosham, claiming they had just finished working in a neighbour’s garden on Tuesday afternoon.

The pair offered to trim the hedge around the property for £200 – but the situation quickly turned violent when they demanded £850 for just 10 minutes’ work on a small portion of the garden, according to Paul.

The 51-year-old, whose wife was out at the time, said: ‘One of them was a very young man who went up a ladder with a chainsaw without any protective equipment.

‘That’s when I began to think something wasn’t quite right.

‘Then three more men turned up.

‘We had agreed £200 and they demanded £850 – that’s when it all went downhill.’

After refusing to pay the inflated cost and returning inside, Paul was met with a barrage of threats and one of the larger men trying to barge down his front door.

He said: ‘I was pretty frightened.

‘I only opened the door because I was worried they were about to barge down the door.

‘I felt I had to pay them the money because I was worried about what they would do to the house.’

The group initially wanted Paul to get in their van to drive to a cash machine, but he took his own car to a nearby bank with the rogue traders following behind, before Paul handed over the cash and they drove away.

He said: ‘I should never have got involved with them – it was obviously a well-rehearsed set-up.

‘I wouldn’t want this to happen to anyone else.’

The family are also concerned about the police response – with Paul phoning the police but receiving no assurance a police car would be dispatched even as the men tried to break down his door.

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Duncan McAdam, 24, Paul’s stepson – who managed to find CCTV footage of the van used by the traders – said: ‘He phoned the police and they came around 15 minutes later – but the nearest station is just a two-minute drive from their house, so I don’t know why it took so long.’

Hampshire police are investigating the incident and have asked residents to remain vigilant and ‘keep an eye on elderly and vulnerable friends, relatives and neighbours’.

A spokeswoman said: ‘Remember, never employ passing traders and never pay any money upfront.

‘In suspicious circumstances residents may be quoted a price for services, which is later grossly inflated when the work is done.

‘If you are considering having work done to your home or garden, reputable companies will always provide correct invoices and full agreement of the work needed to be carried out.

‘We would like people to be vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to us by calling 101.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron,

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