TWO Swindon men have been arrested following a spate of rogue trading in Wiltshire.

The men, aged 29 and 37, both from the Swindon area, have been arrested in connection with incidents of cold calling residents and asking if they need their driveways re-surfacing or any other paving or tarmacing work to be done.

They were questioned at Melksham Police Station on May 5 and released on police bail pending further enquiries.

PC Danielle Hall said: “This is an opportune moment to remind the public that although some rogue traders may appear professional, legitimate tradesmen would not engage in cold calling.”

“Rogue traders can be very aggressive and persuasive in their sales pitches and victims often feel obliged to take up their offer. Sometimes what may seem a reasonable price to begin with can increase dramatically.

“Wiltshire Police has a dedicated team which deals with this type of offence and works closely with Trading Standards. I would appeal to the public to take a note of the description of any cold callers and the registration numbers of any suspicious vehicles and report these to police as soon as possible.”

Anyone with concerns can contact Detective Constable Anthony King of the Priority Crime Team at Melksham on 0845 4087000 or contact Consumer Direct on 0845 4040506.