Rogue traders and forceful doorstep sellers across the UK were targeted in a national day of action on Wednesday 13 April 2016 as part of a weeklong crime prevention initiative.

Activities on the day ranged from identifying vehicles used by criminals through automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) to conducting intelligence-led patrols in areas where older or vulnerable people live.

Police and trading standards services across the country worked with the Department of Work and Pensions, Environment Agency, HM Revenue and Customs, the DVLA, the DVSA, Border Force and Scambusters to catch rogue traders and to prevent innocent people from becoming victims of crime.

841 vehicles were stopped and checked for offences. 868 households were visited and advice given and 166 businesses were spoken to and reminded of their responsibilities. Almost 5000 advice leaflets were delivered to key areas to raise awareness of how residents can work with the police to prevent becoming a victim of crime.

In 2015 Operation Rogue Trader saw over 100 people arrested, £3.1m worth of property recovered and over 5,000 vehicles inspected.

Rogue trading is a UK wide problem with evidence suggesting a number of burglars associate with rogue traders. Rogue traders often travel vast distances to commit offences, highlighting why having a national capability such as Operation Liberal is important.

Chief Inspector Dave Mangan at Lancashire Constabulary said: “Distraction crimes and scams continue to occur and the victims are swindled out of their life savings for unnecessary and overpriced work which has a detrimental effect on the victim’s health and their confidence.

“We will continue to carry out operations like this and remind the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity or concerns about an individual offering to carry out work to the relevant agency.”

Operation Rogue Trader is led by Operation Liberal, the national intelligence unit that links associated crimes and gathers intelligence on key nominals and organised crime groups who travel extensively throughout the UK.

Lancashire County Council receives around 500 complaints every year about rogue traders. Officers have been checking up on potentially vulnerable residents as part of this week's operation.

Paul Noone, head of Lancashire County Council Trading Standards Service, said: "We're always working to disrupt the activities of bogus traders, however the best way to avoid a problem is simply never to do business with any cold callers.

“If a company uses pressure sales to try to get you to buy goods or agree to have work done immediately, alarm bells should start ringing. Typically we find that a small job such as cleaning gutters can soon turn into an endless list of demands for fixing slates and repointing ridge tiles.

“Reputable firms will not demand cash up front, and will be happy to come back another day to give you time to think about it and get other quotes.

“Our Safe Trader Scheme can help you find an honest and reliable trader, so there’s no reason to risk signing up to anything on the doorstep.”

It is not illegal for traders to sell at the door. Legitimate callers will not mind if you shut and lock the door while you verify that they are genuine. Rogue traders often offer gardening work or maintenance services at attractive rates but the quality of work is substandard, unnecessary or overpriced. They often use persuasive sales techniques to encourage people into making hasty decisions.

People should report cases of rogue traders or uninvited doorstep callers to Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06.

Anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of any doorstep offender or rogue trader should ring 101 or call Crimestoppers, the national charity, anonymously on 0800 555 111

To find a trader from the Safe Trader Scheme contact 0303 333 1111 or go to www.safetrader.org.uk.