POLICE are warning residents to avoid using services from cold-callers after a woman was left more than £25,000 out of pocket.

A gardener put a flyer through the door of a woman advertising their gardening services, to which the woman responded saying she wanted her garden tidying up.

He then asked for a huge amount of money up front, which she gave him.

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The woman then gave the supposed owner of the company another large cheque on the day three men turned up at her house to start the work.

One of the men doing the work later approached her and said he had not been paid, so she wrote him another large cheque to cover three weeks’ work.

A further cheque was handed over after the gardeners asked for more money.

In total, the woman paid out £25,700 and since then has been asked for £10,000 more.

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The drain on her finances was discovered when the woman’s daughter was told not to use her bank account as there was ‘no money left in it’.

Her daughter asked why and the woman told her it was because of all the cheques she had written for the gardeners.

The family is now in contact with the bank after the woman’s son-in-law told the police about the possible scam.

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Jeffrey Pick Police, Community Engagement & Resilience Officer for Windsor & Maidenhead, said: “Never deal with anyone that cold calls or puts flyers through doors. If you need to have work done, seek a recommendation from someone you know.”