Cambridgeshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service is warning of an emerging drainage scam in the county which may affect you or your elderly neighbours.

The service has had reports that residents, specifically the elderly, have been called on by drainage contractors claiming to be working at a nearby property or business with blocked drains and claiming that the problems are coming from blockages in the resident’s drains. The residents are then charged up to £7,000 for the repair.

The approach is similar to a drainage scam that has emerged this week in London where people call on householders claiming to be neighbours and asking the householder to contribute to the cost of repairing a damaged drain.

In London the fraudsters are using A1 Drainage Solution to carry out the work, although now this has been publicised, they may use a contractor with a different name.

Trading Standards’ advice is that if you are approached by an individual claiming emergency drainage work needs to be done and asking for immediate payment, do not to hand over any money. Send them away and contact the police on 999.