BOGUS callers will be given the cold shoulder in a new Selby "megazone" set up by police and council chiefs.

Villagers from Kirk Smeaton have joined forces with Little Smeaton after being targeted by dodgy doorstep callers, including a burglar who tied up an elderly woman in her own home.

The megazone will cover both villages to form the largest No Cold Calling Zone in North Yorkshire.

Police and officers from North Yorkshire County Council Trading Standards will blitz the area with warning posters and advice on how to deter cold callers.

County Coun Helen Swiers, executive member for trading standards and regulatory services, said: "This is a tremendous step forward in our fight against doorstep criminals who target vulnerable members of our society, with the typical victim being an elderly woman living alone.

"These criminals either commit a distraction burglary or fleece their victims by pretending that house repairs are needed, and then carrying out shoddy work which is massively overpriced.

"Any decent society needs to protect its weaker members and the villagers in Little Smeaton and Kirk Smeaton are doing just that by speaking with one voice."

The megazone will protect around 300 residents by giving them the confidence to turn away unwanted callers, secure in the knowledge that they have the support of the community.

Thousands of similar zones have been set up all over the country, with some reporting an 80 per cent reduction in doorstep crime.

In North Yorkshire, the No Cold Callers scheme is about to celebrate its second anniversary with the launch of the 100th zone at the beginning of November.

The Kirk Smeaton and Little Smeaton megazone will be officially launched today, when council trading standards officers and local police will give out door stickers and put up warning signs to mark the boundaries of the new zone.

People interested in involving their neighbourhoods in the scheme should phone Trading Standards on 08454 040506. More information is also available online at www.tradingstandards.gov.uk


What are the megazones for?

The zones are primarily targeted against three major criminal enterprises: * Distraction burglaries where one caller keeps the occupant talking, while an accomplice scours the house for valuables and money.

* Rogue traders offering garden maintenance or property repairs that are done unnecessarily and for an extortionate fee.

* Conmen who trick residents into handing over money for work they have no intention of doing.


No Cold Calling Zone successes

Trading Standards officer Jennie Hamilton explains three No Cold Calling Zone successes: * THRUSCROSS, near Harrogate "This is the smallest zone we have, covering seven bungalows and a pub. We set the zone up because it is very remote and the majority of the residents are elderly, so it would be easy for people to sneak around in the dark."* SELBY TOWN CENTRE "The Neighbourhood Watch group contacted us because they want all the protection they can. They have had quite a few problems, especially on the darker streets. The zone covers about 200 houses, including bungalows."* RIVERSIDE PARK, IN OTLEY "I am writing a letter to a double glazing company in response to a complaint from a resident. A salesman came to her door and when she told him he was in a No Cold Calling Zone he became very abusive. The letters tend to work - at the end of the day, companies do not want to waste money sending representatives where no one will buy anything."