A WOMAN has been conned out of £500 by a rogue tradesman who is using Redcar's Shopmobility as his business address.

The man, claiming to be from Redcar Plumbing and Building Specialists, has angered staff at the town's Shopmobility service, in Pybus Place, by using their premises as his business address.

He is also using the service's red, yellow and grey letterhead from its newsletter, replacing Shopmobility with Redcar Plumbing and Building Specialists. Police were alerted to the scam by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council's trading standards officers after a woman turned up at Shopmobility asking when work would start at her home after paying a £500 cash deposit.

Cleveland Shopmobility manager Clare O'Connor said: "We've had maybe a dozen calls over the last three to four weeks and it appears they're asking for cash deposits and not doing the work.

"Shopmobility is a service provided for the elderly, disabled and vulnerable and we don't want to be associated with these type of people."

Trading standards officer Deborah Holmes said: "This is a despicable act and we are extremely concerned.

"It highlights the problem of doorstep sellers and rogue traders, who turn up offering services that simply never materialise. Our advice is simple: Don't deal with anyone on the doorstep."