Rogue door-to-door salesmen are putting elderly people at risk of food poisoning by pressuring them into buying unfit fish, police have said.Officers have warned pensioners against buying from two men who have been selling fish door-to-door in Barrowford.
In a number of incidents in the village, the men have tried to talk vulnerable residents into paying what police say are vastly inflated prices. Officers also said they believed the rogue salesmen's van had no refrigeration.
Sergeant Graham Lister, of Nelson police, said: "We sometimes get visitors like this from the Durham area trying to sell fish like this.
"Depending on the assertiveness of the person who answers the door, they will charge higher and higher prices. In some instances, this can be up to £50 for produce worth less than a tenth of that."
He said officers had identified what they believe was the men's white Ford Transit van.
Sgt Lister said: "As well as the crime of deception, there is a significant health and safety issue here. If the fish has, as we believe, been driven from Chester-le-Street in an unrefrigerated van, then who knows what sort of a state it's in. In most cases with this type of crime, there is nothing in place to ensure that the food is fit to eat."
The salesmen are targeting sheltered accommodation, and police warned people not open it to anyone they did not know.
Sgt Lister said: "If you are going to buy anything at the door, you need to be absolutely sure it is a reputable trader. If you are not happy, don't buy."
Source: http://www.lancashireeveningtelegraph.co.uk
