A county-wide initiative to stamp out doorstep crime will be bringing peace of mind to residents of South Woodham.

Trading standards, police, social services, district councils and Age Concern have united in the Do's and Don't's Campaign which was launched by Essex Trading Standards yesterday (Thursday) at County Hall, Chelmsford.

The scheme has been praised by South Woodham's crime prevention officer, Pete Furlong, who said: "Any measure to cut down doorstep crime has got to be a step forward.

"People in South Woodham have suffered enough with con-artists, as have people in other areas.

"What makes it such a nasty crime is that old aged pensioners are usually the ones who are targeted. Hopefully this scheme will make people more aware of the dangers.

"Ideally we'd like to see this crime stamped out altogether."

The new scheme is designed to give residents information before a con-man calls, and support if a problem occurs.

One of the most appalling doorstep crimes was the recent incident when an 89-year-old Springfield widow who had saved £3,000 for her own funeral had the cash stolen by con men.

And the sorry saga continued this week as police sought a trickster who stole £80 cash from an 88-year-old Heybridge widow after claiming to have completed work on her roof.

There have been similar incidents all over mid Essex as con men pose as water, gas and electricity workers.

The campaign is based on high level co-operation between organiser's, trading standards, and other agencies responsible for providing services to Essex residents,

An Essex County Council spokesman said: "The campaign is the first of its kind in Essex and gives householders advanced warning when rogue traders are operating in their area.

"It is supported by a network of organisations who share information and alert trading standards or the police when there is a need for action."

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