A BOGUS trader got more than he bargained for when he was confronted by an 86-year-old Inverclyde OAP after doing a sub-standard job power washing her drive.

The plucky pensioner from Wemyss Bay was furious - and promptly made him do it again.

The would-be scammer cold called the senior citizen and offered to clean her driveway.

He was smartly dressed, arrived in a clean van, marked with what appeared to be genuine, trade association logos.

She said: “The man said he’d been doing some work for my neighbours and some other people in the street.

"We agreed that I’d pay him £280 to clean my drive - I’m too old to do it myself.

“He took no time over it at all and it was patchy and streaky.

"I wasn’t at all happy and I told him I wouldn’t pay a penny until he did it properly.

"I showed him the standard I expected and he did an acceptable job the second time around.

"Afterwards I spoke to some of my neighbours about him and I realised I’d been taken in.

"He had lied about working for them - and £280 was way too much to pay just to have my drive cleaned.”

The lady is now keen to warn others about her experience because there have been a lot of cold callers working in the area lately.

She said: “No matter how on the ball you think you are, anyone can be taken in."

Trading Standards have been alerted to the rogue trader.

Councillor Michael McCormick said: “Scammers will use every trick in the book to part you from your money.

"Clearly, £280 is far too much to pay to have your driveway cleaned.

"Our Trading Standards team always advise people to get at least three quotes for any work and to use a trusted trader from the list on the council’s website.

“Cold calling is a favourite tactic for scammers. Always think carefully before getting work done by a cold caller.”