AN ELDERLY woman was forced to hand over money by a 'gardener' who followed her to a cash point then made her get even more from her bank.

Hampshire Police would like to speak to the man in this CCTV footage in relation to the incident, which happened in Sholing.

It is understood that the 81-year-old woman was approached on her doorstep in the morning of Wednesday, August 30 by a man offering to do some weeding.

Initially, they agreed a price of £120. However when the work was completed he increased the bill by £900.

The victim was then followed to a cash point where she was made to withdraw the money, before being told to go to the bank and withdraw even more, at which point she declined before returning home and calling police.

A spokesperson for Hampshire Police said: "Officers would like to identify the man in the CCTV images as he may have information valuable to our enquiries."

The force also issued crime prevention advice to share with elderly family members or neighbours, including never open your door to someone you don’t know or aren’t expecting, use a door chain when opening the door, ask for identification and check it carefully before letting anyone in and making sure your back door is locked before answering the front door.

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact police on 101 quoting 44170336335 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.