Figures released today by the Office of Fair Trading show that home improvements continue to top the list of complaints about doorstep rogue traders. The OFT is today urging consumers, especially the elderly and vulnerable, to be on their guard against rogue traders knocking at their door.

Last year, Consumer Direct received more than 13,000 complaints about uninvited traders and almost half of these complaints (5,718) related to home maintenance work. The top five complaints about this group in 2010 were:

• roofing - 1725 (30 per cent)
• tarmacing and paving - 1088 (19 per cent)
• insulation - 663 (12 per cent)
• general building work - 573 (10 per cent)
• burglar alarms - 348 (six per cent ).

With complaints about home maintenance peaking in the Summer months from July through to the autumn, the OFT is launching an awareness campaign urging householders to be cautious and take time to think about people who call at the door. Rogue doorstep traders will often offer services at attractive rates and use persuasive sales techniques to