A PENSIONER was driven to her building society branch by a bogus builder who then pocketed £250 from her account.

The conman had earlier knocked at the woman's door, claiming she needed urgent repairs to the roof of her detached home in the Woodlands area of Tadcaster.

He told her that two loose tiles needed fixing and the unsuspecting woman agreed to the work.

But when the trickster came down from the roof he said the repairs would cost £150 - and then upped the bill to £250.

When the so-called repairs had been completed, he then drove her in a white van to a local building society branch office where the woman withdrew £250 in cash from a cashier.

She was left stranded in Tadcaster town centre as the bogus caller drove off in his van, which had two ladders fixed to the roof. The 60-year-old victim then had to walk to the home of her daughter, before going Tadcaster Police Station.

The woman, who was too upset to talk about the incident, was alone in the house when the man called at 8.30am yesterday.

Police fear the fraudster could strike again and have warned Tadcaster householders to be on their guard.

PC Mark Allison, of Tadcaster police, said today: "This man needs catching as quickly as possible. We will not tolerate this sort of crime and are warning residents to be vigilant."

The bogus builder is described as slim, in his 30s and 5ft 7in tall. He had a rough, pock-marked face and spoke with a distinctive Yorkshire accent.

A Tadcaster woman in her 70s was recently duped out of £160 by bogus gardeners.

Two men called at her house in Grange Avenue and promised to pull up a hedge and erect a fence.

The conmen, one of whom is described as red-haired with a Scottish accent, spent less than five minutes chainsawing the hedge away.

They demanded cash to buy fencing materials which the woman handed over, but did not return to complete the job.

Anyone with information about either incident or other bogus callers should contact Tadcaster police on 01904 669722.

Updated: 15:34 Wednesday, August 15, 2001