A PORLOCK pensioner was conned out of £4,750 by two men who claimed they had done work on his house while he was on holiday in the West Indies.

On his return, they told him they had something to discuss and demanded payment for repairs they claimed to have carried out to his roof and guttering while he was away.

Their victim, a retired vicar in his 70s, handed over a cheque made out to a person whose name was given to him by the two men.

The pensioner later realised no work had been done and that he had been conned, but it was too late to stop the payment.

The details came to light at Taunton Crown Court this week when the man who the cheque was made out to - John Holland, 43, of Oxen Lane, North Curry - appeared in court to face charges of money laundering.

Holland, a member of the travelling community, admitted the two charges.

Ramin Pakrooh, prosecuting, said the charges involved defrauding elderly victims of large sums of money for work that had not been done.

The court was told that a few days before the Porlock incident, a 95-year-old man, who has since died, was contacted and told his garden wall was damaged.

He was told the wall needed to be repaired and that he had already agreed for the work to be done.

The elderly victim paid £9,500 because he felt under pressure.

However, it was not suggested that Holland was either of the men who had turned up at the victims' homes and claimed to have carried out the work, but he had made his bank account available to them, Mr Pakrooh said.

Patrick Mason, defending, said Holland was known for trading cars and caravans and it was not accepted that he had "readily made his account available for laundering the two cheques".

The case was adjourned until September for further inquiries and pre-sentence reports and Holland was released on bail.

Recorder Nicholas Hall said if he could repay the money, the sentencing judge would be more impressed.

The case comes after trading standards officials warned West Somerset residents to be wary of rogue traders after another householder in the district was left seriously out of pocket when their home was refurbished unnecessarily.

Officers said they had seen a surge of complaints across the county from people who had suffered poor workmanship, largely commissioned from traders touting for business on the doorstep.

Elsewhere in Somerset, a Bridgwater resident paid £7,000 to have a patio laid but when the work turned out to be poor and the patio unusable, the trader could not be found.

And in Burnham-on-Sea, traders tried to convince a homeowner to have their whole roof replaced, even though the work was not needed.

Residents were also warned to be aware of door-to-door salesmen selling security systems which had high annual maintenance fees and a con where people sell duster and cleaning materials claimed to be part of a scheme to help ex-offenders.

Trading standards officers said it was important people did not make rushed decisions, considered whether work needed to be done, agreed a price before work started and had everything confirmed in writing.

The trader should also give a cancellation notice telling customers that they had seven days to change their mind.

More information is available from the county's consumer direct helpline on 08454 040506.