Alert bank staff have prevented an 80-year-old man from being scammed out of £5,000 by rogue roofers, say police.

It follows an incident when the pensioner was approached by two men at his home in Canterbury who claimed the roof of his static caravan needed repairing.

A price was agreed by quickly escalated, says the victim.

When he tried to draw out the cash from his bank, staff became suspicous and called police.

Now detectives from Kent and Essex’s Serious Crime Directorate are reminding residents to be alert to bogus callers in the district.

Det Sgt Marc Cananur said: "It is positive that this scam was prevented before this man lost a significant amount of money but we know that other residents haven’t been so lucky.

"I’m reminding people that if someone comes to your house without an invitation and offers services or goods don’t feel pressured to pay.

"While many callers are genuine, a bogus caller could charge you for unnecessary work, leave work unfished or even damage property deliberately to get money. If in doubt, don’t agree to services or goods from doorstep callers."