An elderly woman was tricked out of more than £300 by callers who simply cut her grass.

The men called at the 84-year-old woman's house in Rigby Avenue, Mistley on Wednesday.

They offered to cut her lawn. But after the job was done they asked her for £300 which she paid in cash.

PC Mark Talbot, of Mistley police, said: "We want to warn people against things like this. We need to get people to be aware."

PC Talbot said the best thing to do was not to accept services from people you don't know and to use a reputable trader, such as those found in Yellow Pages.

There is no description of the tricksters but anyone who knows anything about the incident or who is contacted by suspicious characters should contact Mistley police on 01206 392611.

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