Trading standards body lobbies for ban on doorstep opportunists.

COLD calling to offer roofing, block paving and hedge trimming could soon be made illegal if Trading Standards officers have their way.

For the past two years the Trading Standards Institute has been lobbying the Government to bring in a law to ban doorstep selling of properties and garden services.

The Department of Trade and Industry has now put out a consultation paper to gauge the opinion of the public and of interested bodies, before proposing a new law to address the issue.

The proposed legislation would ban cold calling to offer property repairs and maintenance, extend the customer's cancellation rights and require them to be more clearly displayed in contracts, and require traders to give clear pricing information such as price lists and written quotations.

Cumbria Trading Standards officers are urging people who have had experience of these doorstep callers to make their voices heard in support of a ban.

Pat Thomas of Cumbria Trading Standards is in favour of an end to this type of cold calling to reduce doorstep crime.

"Experience shows that people who cold call offering these services tend to target the elderly and the vulnerable."

Mr Thomas said that at best these doorstep traders did a poor quality job, in the worst cases they either did not carry out the work at all, or demanded much more money than expected.

The warning follows a case in Oxenholme earlier this month when a lady returned from work to discover rogue builders were working on her house without her permission.

Cumbria Trading Standards is asking people to write to the DTI if they support the ban. Submissions must reach the DTI by November 15. Alternatively, people can send a letter to local trading standards officers who will forward it on their behalf.

There is also a petition at the trading standards office (in Kendal) and at the SLDC offices, which supporters of the ban can sign.

The Trading Standards Institute is keen to see a law agreed before the next parliament, and certainly before any change of government.

It says the proposed legislation is restricted to people cold calling to offer to do work on houses or gardens and would not affect legitimate property repair and maintenance businesses.

Mr Thomas believes the issue is of particular concern because this area of Cumbria is home to many older people who are vulnerable to unscrupulous traders. "Elderly people need protection from scoundrels like that," he said.

John Greenhough, head of business development for the Chartered Institute of Marketing, said: "Restricting unsolicited direct marketing calls will promote segmentation, and will result in those organisations responsible being required to develop a more focused marketing programme."

Letters about the proposals can be sent to David Swepson, Consumer and Competition Policy Directorate, Department of Trade and Industry, Room B426, 1 Victoria Street, London SW1 0ET, or emailed to doorstep.selling@dti.gsi.gov.uk.