CONSUMER watchdogs meet later this week to thrash out fresh policies which could help defeat doorstep cowboys who prey on the old and vulnerable.

Police and trading standards offices have issued repeated warnings against traders who knock on doors claiming to offer bargains or to carry out repairs at knock-down prices.

However, it is believed thousands of people across the region are still conned into parting with their savings only to find what they've paid for is a slipshod job or a product which is a poor imitation of others on the market.

Many have fought back through the authorities and some victims have even got their money back through the courts.

However, research suggests the majority never report being ripped off - mainly because they are too embarrassed to admit they have been so badly conned.

A recent survey by Help the Aged indicated as many as 300,000 pensioners have had unwelcome callers in the past 12 months across the UK, 28,000 of them in the Yorkshire and Humber region alone.

Gangs touring the area using strong-arm tactics to intimidate elderly people into having their drives repaired are among the most callous culprits.

In one case, an elderly Scarborough man paid nearly £4,000 to a bogus roof repairer who spent just a couple of hours on site and has never been seen since.

However, trading standards units from across the region will be sending delegates to a seminar at The Cairn Hotel in Harrogate on Thursday which marks the start of a fresh drive to stamp out the problem.

Another survey will also be held nationwide to get a more detailed breakdown of the tactics callers use in an effort to come up with new ways to combat them.

North Yorkshire county councillor, John Dennis - the authority's executive member for the Business and Community Services Directorate - admitted tackling the issue won't be easy.

He said: "Everybody needs to be aware of how these criminals operate so that every organisation can play its part.

"The problems the culprits cause may be local but the issue is national. By bringing together organisations such as local authorities, the police and voluntary groups, we hope to generate some real commitment to tackling this menace."