A builder who conned an elderly man out of thousands has been jailed for six months.

Timothy Shoesmith of King Henry's Drive New Addington, was found guilty earlier this month of being part of a plot to charge the vulnerable pensioner £11,000 for work originally quoted to be £40.

Croydon Crown Court heard Shoesmith, who owns In and Out Property Maintenance, was caught after council trading standards officers visited the property as part of an operation to remind elderly and vulnerable residents of crime prevention measures.

The operation focused on properties where building work was being undertaken.

Jurors were told the 79-year-old victim had been approached at his door by a workman who offered to fix his rotting fence for £40. The trader then suggested a series of additional work, including the replacement of the garage roof.

The court heard the victim was pressured into agreeing to the work, but rather than removing the garage roof, the trader demolished the entire building.

When the resident, who felt too intimidated to tell them to stop. asked how much it would cost, the trader presented him with a bill for £11,500. Trading standard officers returned to the address the following day and found Shoesmith in the garden who was told to stop work.

He later failed to attend interview or to response to written questions and was summoned to court.

Shoesmith, who was found guilty of fraud and failing to give the victim a notice of his right to cancel, was ordered to pay £500 compensation to his victim.

Councillor Simon Hoar, cabinet member for community safety, said: "It’s good to see that the courts are dealing with this type of crime of which we see far too much, with the appropriate degree of seriousness.

"Our trading standards team works very hard to bring to justice such heartless scammers who seek to take advantage of the vulnerable members of our community – in this case an old gentleman living alone and, at first, thinking he was being offered a fair price for an honest day’s work.

"Fortunately, our trading standards officers were aware of the possibility that a rogue trader may have been at work and were able to intervene before any significant financial loss had been suffered by the householder."