Police warn of 'guttering' scam in Sheffield suburb

South Yorkshire Police said reports have been received of people calling at homes in Beighton offering to clean guttering for £17.

But when the work was carried out residents were charged £17 per length.

Inspector Jason Booth said: "It has been reported to us via a partner agency that people have been knocking on doors in the Beighton area offering to clean gutters for £17.

"On the face of it that may sound cheap but the £17 was per length of guttering. We don't know if that was metre or feet, nevertheless it's a scam.

"We always advise extreme caution in buying anything, goods or services, from the doorstep. You don't always know what the quality of the goods or services are and if it sounds cheap you need to think why.

"Please circulate this information and ensure that any of our older residents are aware about buying from the doorstep or allowing strangers into the home."