A cowboy builder who preyed on elderly homeowners and conned them out of more than £100,000 has been jailed for eight years.

Carl Davies, 41, convinced his carefully targeted victims to hand over their life savings in return for building work that was botched, never completed, or in some cases never even started.

In one case he convinced an 86-year-old woman in Sutton to pay him more than £20,000 for building work for work he never finished He ripped out her bathroom and boiler and botched a roof repair so badly that it leaked.

The woman, who now lives in care home, was also persuaded to loan him £20,000 which has never been returned and was so distraught she was unable to give evidence in court.

He was sentenced at Reading Crown court on June 28 after being found guilty of five counts of fraud and four counts of theft.

The offences, which took place between 2008 and 2010 were in Sutton, Twickenham and Richmond as well as Ascot in Berkshire and Iver in Buckinghamshire.

Davies would cold call householders then frighten them with bogus stories of the danger they were in because of urgently needed repairs.

Then, after taking money for work upfront, he would do a botched job or leave the work unfinished.

Sometimes he would take the money and fail to return without doing any work at all.

Councillor Jayne McCoy, responsible for trading standards at Sutton Council, said: "This man has carried out some of most despicable cons we’ve ever experienced. At a time when these people should’ve been enjoying their retirement, they’ve been left trying to pick up the pieces left by Carl Davies."

Investigating officer detective constable Sarah Manning, of Force CID in Loddon Valley, said: "Carl Davies had no consideration for his victims and would steal money from them without conscience. On one occasion he stole money from a woman whose husband had recently died."

"He has made a living from being dishonest and taking money away from vulnerable people and has shown no remorse at any time during the investigation."

Davies of Trowes Lane, Swallowfield, Reading, was jailed for seven years and six months for the fraud and theft offences and six months for breaching a suspended prison sentence from 2008.