Mean rogues take £60 from pensioner in Skegness then leave without doing work

The 89-year-old who lives in Queens Road said he paid two men £60 to remove an old mattress from the garage and clean out the guttering.

"I was outside and saw them take a hoover from a house opposite and they called over and asked if I had any rubbish to take away," he said.

"I said I had an old mattress in the garage and also agreed to pay them £60 so they would clean the guttering as well.

"They took the mattress out of the garage and tied it up, leaving it in the drive and saying they would come back.

"As soon as they had gone I just knew I had been scammed. They never came back.

"They wore t-shirts and were in a white transit-type van. One of them claimed he was Sid Dennis' son (Sid Dennis & Sons Ltd).

"Usually I am so alert but I hadn't been well - I'm really cross with myself for falling for it."

The Standard spoke to Mr Dennis who confirmed he was aware of the incident.

"We are sorry to hear this has happened," he said. "Unfortunately there are some unscrupulous people out there.

"Our staff do not knock on doors touting for business and wear uniforms and ID badges."

Coast Insp Colin Haigh said: "Residents should only use registered individuals and companies to remove waste.

“It’s easy to visit the Environment Agency website and check the waste licence that the carrier should be able to provide you, to check they’re not using a fake one. And they should be able to provide you with a certificate to show where the waste has been sent to”

“It’s worth paying for waste removal online if possible, as you then have a record that you’ve made the payment, rather than cash which is harder to trace if something does go wrong. “Anyone who sees people dumping items or acting suspiciously should report it, either through the 101 service or East Lindsey District Council.”

Anyone who believes they have been scammed should contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or visit the website at www.actionfraud.police.uk/