AMATEUR drama groups are being urged to help in the fight against bogus callers.
Durham County Council's trading standards department wants theatre groups to perform sketches to warn pensioners, who are the main target of doorstep thieves, about the dangers of confidence tricksters.
A Leeds theatre company has produced a video and scripts.
It is hoped the sketches will help elderly people learn how to respond to bogus callers.
A survey carried out by trading standards last year showed that the overwhelming majority of people did not want to be visited by door to door salesmen. Some groups have already been lined up in the Durham, Chester-le-Street and Wear Valley areas to stage performances at community centres, tea dances and lunch clubs.
Council deputy leader Councillor Don Ross said: "We hope that amateur dramatic and theatre groups will be interested in helping us to deliver important messages about doorstep sellers to older people.''
Groups are still needed for the Derwentside, Easington and Wear Valley areas.
Anyone interested in taking part can call Craig Hudson or Elizabeth Fitzgerald on 0191-383 3707 or 0191-383 4467.
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