An elderly resident in Bridport has been conned out of more than £2k for garden work.

The resident had searched on the internet for a local gardener to remove a few shrubs and a general tidy up of a couple of flower beds.

The victim received a phone call from a man, who arranged a site visit with another man and quoted £1,750 for the work.

They worked for two hours and asked to be paid using a bank transfer.

The victim couldn't remember how to do the transfer, so one of the males helped her by taking control of her laptop. In doing so he added another £425 making the total £2,175.

After she found out, the victim's daughter was immediately suspicious due to the high price for the amount of work. She went to look, could see that the work carried out was to a poor standard, and called the police.

A spokesperson for Bridport Police said: "We would ask, if you live near an elderly neighbour that is having work carried out and you suspect it to be suspicious, please check on them at the time or if you do not feel comfortable in doing that, please call the police explaining your concerns and we will attend."

The police have informed Dorset Council Trading Standards and will work closely with them while investigating this crime.