Barbara, 76 conned out of pounds 1,200 by bogus gardeners; CRIME: Widow relives ordeal to warn others not to be duped out their savings.Byline: Emma Stone HEARTLESS heart·less adj. 1. Devoid of compassion or feeling; pitiless. 2. Archaic Devoid of courage or enthusiasm; spiritless. heart conmen have duped a trusting Coventry pensioner PENSIONER. One who is supported by an allowance at the will of another. It is more usually applied to him who receives an annuity or pension from the government. out of pounds 1,200 in savings after promising to transform her garden. Widow Barbara Popely welcomed the offer to remove overgrown overgrown said of a part that has not been kept trimmed. overgrown hoof overgrown hooves put unusual stresses on bones and tendons and allow for distortion of the wall and sole. conifer conifer (kŏn`ĭfûr) [Lat.,=cone-bearing], tree or shrub of the order Coniferales, e.g., the pine, monkey-puzzle tree, cypress, and sequoia. Most conifers bear cones and most are evergreens, though a few, such as the larch, are deciduous. trees from her garden when two men knocked unexpectedly at her door in Tile Hill Tile Hill is a suburb in the west of Coventry. The railway line linking Rugby, Coventry and Birmingham goes through Tile Hill, and Tile Hill railway station is within Tile Hill near its eastern border with Solihull. . The 76-year-old had been housebound for some time due to chronic back pain and had been unable to tend to the garden herself. After agreeing that four trees would be removed, she handed the workmen pounds 375, and they promptly took a chainsaw to the trees, cutting them down to their roots on Friday. But soon after the work was completed, the men suggested that the Coventry grandmother have her entire front garden block paved. Mrs Popely said: "They obviously saw work needed doing and I did need a kick to get things done. I haven't been able to get around the garden for some time and he seemed to know exactly what he was doing. "He wrote down what he planned to do and explained the business was a family concern and they got their work through recommendations." Plans were drawn up there and then and the workmen said they would return, on Monday, to begin the paving, but not before they received payment for materials. The men were handed a further pounds 860 on Saturday but have not been seen or heard from since. And efforts to contact them have drawn a blank after the mobile number the men left has since been cut off. Mrs Popely said: "They were due to come back on Monday and start the work but they never arrived. "I have tried to contact them and even my son has tried but we haven't been able to get through. It keeps saying the number has been cut off. "They seemed so genuine and so nice, sitting in here having a cup of tea. "I don't like to think of anyone else getting conned." And the mother-of-two, who has lived in the city all her life, issued a warning to others who receive unscheduled visits from workmen. She said: "I really don't want anyone else to be taken in by them. It is amazing how nice they were, but these people are used to it aren't they? "They have probably had years in the trade and have been getting away with it. "People should definitely ignore workmen calling at their door - even if it means slamming the door in their face." The matter is being investigated by Coventry City Council's trading standards department and has been reported to West Midlands Police West Midlands Police is the Home Office police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second largest in the United Kingdom after London's Metropolitan Police [1]. It covers an area with nearly 2. . Tina Lewis, of Coventry trading standards, said: "We, as consumers, are still very trusting and these unscrupulous traders will take advantage of that trust. "These people may offer to do all sorts of work, like trim hedges or block paving, and they may say they will give you a receipt at a later date, but under no circumstances should you give them money - whether that be cash or cheque - until you have something in writing." Trading standards officers can be contacted on 08454 04 05 06. CAPTION(S): ANGRY... Barbara Popely with the stumps of the conifers in her garden. DJ050809GARD_1.jpg WARNING ... Barbara Popely was conned by workmen who received money to block pave her front garden, but failed to turn up to do the work. DJ050809GARD_ 2.jpg |
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