A fake building company tricked a pensioner couple from Croydon into paying a £2,000 deposit towards a conservatory that was never built.

Bharat Gandhi, 66, and his wife Sheila borrowed money on their mortgage to fund a conservatory extension to their Upper Norwood home.

Finding their website through google in November, Mr Gandhi contacted BrytaHomes Window Company Ltd, which claims to be a "family run business and quality name in homes improvements."

Following a visit from a man reportedly calling himself Adrian Knight, the couple were asked to pay a deposit totalling £1990, which Mr Gandhi said he paid in two instalments on November 19 on November 22.

Mr "Knight" visited once more on December 15, a week later than previously arranged and without the surveyor he had promised, to take measurements of the property before starting work on January 3.

This was the last contact the couple had with the company, which has since ignored all their calls and emails.

Mr Gandhi said: "In 66 years no one has ever fooled me in this way. I feel sorry for them if they are the low-lives they appear to be.

"We were waiting and waiting but nobody came. I rang the people but it just went straight to voice mail.

"After a few days I began to get really worried, and eventually realised we'd been had.

"The website looks completely genuine, so we're clearly dealing with an organised group here.

"I wonder how many other people they have targeted successfully."

Mr Gandhi managed to capture an image of the white, middle-aged apparent conman on a home CCTV camera when he visited in November.

After his attempts to contact the company by phone and email received no response, Mr Ghandi visited the company's address at a business park in Oxted.

But he found no trace of BrytaHomes, and other business owners at the park had never heard of them.

The company's well-made website, brytahomes.co.uk, advertises a range of services including, window and door installation, guttering and secondary glazing.

They claim to have installed "over 50,000 homes in and around London" since 1971, and that the company's three unnamed directors have over 50 years industry experience between them.

Mr Gandhi informed his bank, Natwest, who sought to recover the money he sent. Unfortunately, the company's account has already been emptied.

He has reported the incident to Action Fraud, a national body which investigates instances of fraud, which is looking into the situation.

Mr Gandhi took the step of borrowing money for the extension since he hoped it would improve his wife's quality of life.

Since undergoing an operation to remove a brain tumour Mrs Gandhi has suffered mobility issues. She tires easily, so spends a lot of time in the house.

The planned conservatory would have given her better exposure to the sunlight and the outdoors, even when she felt unable the leave the house.

Croydon Guardian has approached the company for comment using contact details on their website, but received no response.

The phone numbers listed ring without answer and emails received no reply.