Residents are being advised not to purchase goods from doorstep sellers, as doing so comes with the risk of buying poor quality goods at inflated prices and practical difficulty in getting redress.
The warning follows local reports of Nottingham Knockers knocking on residents' doors, offering household goods such as tea towels, dishcloths, and dusters. The Trading Standards advice is to not deal with sellers at the door, and to be careful not to share personal details as these could also be passed on.
In two recent reports in Fenland, residents had handed over money to these salesmen, with one paying a total of £500 using both cash and bank transfer. Doorstep pedlars are known to sell items door to door with claims such as needing to raise money; and they can be persistent.
Pedlars require a certificate to legally sell door to door. These certificates are issued by the sellers' local police force and cover the whole UK region. Visit the Which? website for more information on doorstep pedlars.
Report and information
Contact Metropolitan Police online, on 101, or call 999 in an emergency.
Find out more about Nottingham Knockers on the Operation Repeat website.
Request a door/window sticker to help deter uninvited doorstep callers from trading.standards@bromley.gov.uk.
If you have bought something unsatisfactory, contact Citizens Advice for help and advice on 0808 223 1133 or on the Citizens Advice website.
Bromley Trading Standards
To keep up with the latest scam alerts and warnings from Bromley Trading Standards sign up on www.bromley.gov.uk/TradingStandardsAlertSignUpForm.
Bromley Trading Standards also runs a fair-trader directory to help you find a safe, reliable trader that you can trust, visit www.bromley.gov.uk/tradingstandardschecked to learn more.