Spring sunshine has led to a record number of reports about rogue traders in the county.

Oxfordshire County Council’s trading standards team received 54 calls about conmen knocking on doors in March.

The figure is the highest since records began being kept three-and-a-half years ago, and is triple the amount of reports for the same month in 2009.

It also takes the number of incidents for the last financial year to 406, a record number and up from 260 on the previous 12 months.

Trading standards officers said rogue traders were trying to “catch up” because of bad weather in January and February. This, coupled with increased awareness of how to contact the doorstep crime team, had led to the record number of reports.

Ian Marriott, group manager for Oxfordshire’s trading standards team, said: “March is the biggest month we’ve ever had.

“We think because they couldn’t work during January and February there are more of them out there now.

“They are trying to catch up.”

In one case in March, men demanded £350 from a 92-year-old woman in Summertown for depositing gravel on her drive, but she refused to pay.

Other calls have involved roofing repairs which have been massively overcharged and demands for payments for alarm systems which people did not realise they had been signed up for.

The majority of people targeted were elderly or female, with more than half living on their own.

Mr Marriott said: “To exploit the weakest people in society is horrendous. How can they pick on vulnerable people deliberately and think that is normal?

“You just wonder what has happened to them to give them that set of values.”

“They have even picked on people who are in the early stages of dementia.”

Martin Woodley, trading standards doorstep crime team leader, said Oxfordshire residents had paid out £736,000 to rogue traders in the last financial year, although his team had managed to prevent a further £122,644 being paid.

He said victims were often ashamed to report incidents and had lost confidence as a result of losing their savings to doorstep callers.

He said: “They are ashamed and embarrassed and don’t want to tell us about it as they are upset that they trusted that person.”

Mr Woodley’s tips to avoid falling victim to a rogue trader:

Never have work done by a cold caller.

Use businesses that are part of the Buy With Confidence Scheme. See buywithconfidence.gov.uk

Use someone you know you can trust.

Always get three different quotes for work.

To report rogue traders, call trading standards on 08450 510845.