COLD callers have been banned from four roads in Yate in a bid to stamp out distraction burglaries.

Sunningdale, Sandy Lodge, Troon and Hoylake have become ‘no cold calling zones’ under an initiative led by South Gloucestershire Council’s Trading Standards team.

Each estate has a Neighbourhood Watch group which has called for the measures to help protect residents from bogus callers.

Cllr Heather Goddard, executive member for communities, said: "Cold calling can play a big part in rogue trader activity and this scheme is a good example of our close working partnership with the police and the community to combat the activities of disreputable traders."

Street signs on lamp posts have been put up warning traders they will not be welcome unless they have previously-arranged appointments and residents will be provided with information packs and a door sticker to display. The aim is to protect residents and empower them to refuse traders selling at their door.

Residents are encouraged to report breaches of the zones to trading standards and the police as traders who ignore the zones could find themselves being arrested for committing an offence.

The introduction of the new zones takes the total number of roads in Yate to have a no cold calling policy to 10. Nailsworth Avenue, Estoril, Turnberry, St Andrews, Walton Heath and Ferndown all joined the scheme last year.

South Gloucestershire has seen a recent increase in the numbers of reported rogue trading incidents although Trading Standards and the police have managed to stop a number of con artists who have charged hugely-inflated prices for their services.