Rogue Trader

I wanted to share with you a recent attempt to defraud an elderly resident of £350 in the Hythe area. 

Around 230PM on Monday 29th September, 2 males in an unmarked tree surgeon type van, knocked on the door of an elderly resident along Brockhill Road, Hythe. They said that a tree had fallen from their front garden across the road and was causing an obstruction. They continued that they were tree surgeons, and for £350 they would remove the tree. The elderly resident inspected the tree and found that 3 quarters of it had been cut through. He challenged the two males and refused to pay them. They got back in their vehicle and drove away towards Saltwood. A local tree surgeon has since cleared the tree at no cost to the elderly resident. 

One of the males has been described as large built, white, aged between 27 and 35 years with ginger hair and a ginger beard. He was wearing a green sweatshirt. The vehicle was grey with tree debris in the back and ladders. it is similar to the image attached to this message. 

If you have any information that could support identifying the persons involved, please reply to this message. 

Regards

PC Chris Stephens