Calls to ban ‘cold calling’ on estate

Police officers have been knocking on doors and speaking to people living on Whinney Hill Park estate about the possibility of installing a “cold calling control zone”.

So far more than 50 per cent of residents have told police that they would like the area to be free of cold calling.

The main aim of the zones is to prevent incidents of doorstop crimes, raise awareness of the activities of rogue traders who target vulnerable people, and give residents the confidence to say no to uninvited callers as a community.

Sgt Dean Maddocks, who leads the team, said they were confident that the control zone would be implemented before Christmas.

He said: “We had at least 45 people who came to a meeting held at the Community Centre within a two-hour period to listen and talk about the proposal. There has been an overwhelming amount of support for it so we are hoping to crack on with it as soon as possible. The area was put forward following two thefts which happened within nine days of each other.”