HOUSEHOLDERS have again been warned against doing business at the door after a pensioner was fleeced of hundreds of pounds by visitors who did unsolicited surfacing work on his drive in Leeming Village.

It was also revealed this week that, as part of a national campaign, North Yorkshire trading standards officers are to launch a major drive against doorstep crime in collaboration with police, banks and other agencies.

On Wednesday, Stuart Pudney, head of North Yorkshire trading standards and regulatory services, travelled to the House of Commons to back a campaign for legislation to ban the menace of "cold calling".

The incident at Leeming involved people in a van bearing only the announcement that it represented a hot tar spraying division. They called at the home of an unnamed 78-year-old man who is understood to have accepted an offer to repair holes in his drive. When he returned from shopping he found the men had treated the whole drive, spraying tar and spreading gravel, and wanted £700.

According to a neighbour, the men took the pensioner to his bank at Northallerton to withdraw cash. It is understood the van returned to Leeming the next day but sped off after it was pursued by the neighbour. He gave its number to police and trading standards officers.

The pensioner was not given a quotation, a receipt or an invoice for the work undertaken.

Mr Pudney said: "The simple message is, do not do business at the door. This case is being investigated, but we cannot do anything without evidence from the complainant.

"It is not an offence to fail to give a quotation, a receipt or an invoice, but it is an offence not to give written cancellation rights before work starts."

He added: "Doorstep crime is becoming such a problem that our department, which is probably the most pro-active in the country, is launching a major multi-agency campaign against it in November in collaboration with the police, banks, neighbourhood watches and other agencies."