TRADING standards officers are warning householders about a company that is cold-calling at homes to offer damp-proofing.
It follows complaints from people in the Scarborough area who have been contacted by a company claiming to be carrying out work for the council.
The householders are told the company will bring a machine to their home to test it for damp.
The property invariably fails the test and the company offers to carry out damp-proofing work to fix the problem, offering estimates of anything up to £13,000.
However the company is not associated with or approved by the council and members of the public are being advised to be on their guard.
The county's executive member for trading standards, Councillor Carl Les, said: "This is another example of a rogue company targeting vulnerable consumers.
"Residents should always be very careful about who they do business with, especially if traders are trying to get into their home."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article