DOORSTEP conmen are a menace to society. They prey on the old and the weak and their callousness knows no bounds.

The fraudsters who stole the savings of a frail 84-year-old woman in Stockton are among the worst we have come across. They truly are the lowest of the low.

How could anyone do such a thing to an old woman suffering from dementia? How can they live with themselves?

When we launched our Doorstoppers campaign in 2003, our aims were to highlight the dangers posed by doorstep conmen, to promote good practice by companies, and to call for new legislation to end cold calling by property repair companies.

Cases such as the one highlighted on our front page today show why that new law is needed.

We hope our readers will be so moved by today's story that they will back our campaign by lobbying their MPs for action. We also hope it will inspire greater community spirit so that neighbours keep an eye on those who are vulnerable to attack by these parasites.

And we hope it leads to someone calling the police with a vital piece of information that brings the two scumbags to justice.

White on

TODAY is one of the most important days in the history of English cricket.

Our boys in white have a chance of sporting immortality and we are behind them all the way.

But win, lose or draw they have attracted a huge new audience to the game of cricket. They are already heroes and Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff is a certainty to be Sports Personality of the Year.