A DISABLED woman is warning people about cold-callers after she was scammed out of £1,500 by a fraudulent home improvements company.

Carol Shepherd, 74, from Blackburn, who also cares for her disabled daughters, first hired the apparently local firm to do work in the garden of her Arran Avenue home and to build a new patio on January 29.

Mrs Shepherd agreed to pay half of the £3,000 fee upfront and the remainder when the job was finished, however, her problems began soon after paying the initial £1,500.

Mrs Shepherd said: “They came on the Friday, did some work and that was the last I heard of them.

“I have been scammed for £1,500.”

The workmen, who had a liveried van, dug up Mrs Shepherd’s garden leaving it in a mess, without returning to complete their work.

For Mrs Shepherd this has come as devastating blow, with her garden destroyed and her finances severely impacted.

She said: “Look at the state of my garden. And now I can’t afford to have it put right!

“£1,500 that’s a lot of money out of my pension, I’m disabled and looking after two disabled daughters.”

The firm did not respond to the family’s repeated phone calls and text messages for weeks after the garden had been dug up.

As such Mrs Shepherd reported the matter to the Trading Standards authority who are looking into her case.

She is now raising the issue publicly to help make sure that other people do not fall victim to similar trick, either at the hands of the same group or other culprits.

She said: “That’s why I need to report this, to stop other people from being scammed.

“I just want to make sure that this doesn’t happen to anybody else.

“I don’t want anyone else to suffer the way I did.”

The gardening firm has not responded to enquiries.