A 'doorstep trickster' who attempted to con an elderly woman to pay him to fix a toilet he clogged up is about to be flushed out by Sutton police.

The fraudster gained entry to two homes in Sutton after telling elderly residents that they had water leaks.

He walked into the home of a woman in her nineties and deliberately blocked her toilet so water spilled onto the floor, before he asked for £800 to repair the damage.

The fraudster then cheekily offered to drive the woman to the bank, from her home at Tabor Court, High Street, in Cheam, where she could withdraw the money, but she told him to leave.

Attempt number two was at a home at Marian Court, Robin Hood Lane, belonging to a man in his sixties where he sprayed water on the kitchen floor and suggested it had been caused by a leak from the flat above.

He asked for £3,000 to fix the damage before he left. The conman made a follow-up phone call to persuade the man to let him fix the supposed damage, but he once again declined.

It is believed that the conman deliberately targets residential blocks where elderly people live.

The trickster is a white man, aged between 35 and 45. Both fraud attempts happened between 11.30am and 12.30pm yesterday If you have any information, contact police on 101. Or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

To find an approved trader please visit the Safer Sutton Trader Scheme website here, or call 020 8770 5070 for details.