A TEAM of rogue traders who fleeced elderly and vulnerable people out of more than £100,000 were tonight behind bars for what a judge called as among the worst case of its kind.

Devious brothers Nathan and John King and their labourer Leon Williams pretended to be maintenance experts and wore branded company clothing to give the impression of professionalism.

The truth was that the travelling gang had absolutely no expertise, pressurised their customers, and either carried out work that was not needed or overcharged for shoddy repairs.

An investigation by North Yorkshire Trading Standards revealed how the Kings were spending thousands of pounds on flashy motors - both had new Mercedes E350 AMG Sports cars.

The Northern Echo:

One of the cars owned by the brothers which was seized

Nathan King, 38, was also splashing out on designer goods and at expensive restaurants while he submitted false tax returns, Newcastle Crown Court was told today.

Prosecutor Richard Bennett described the gang as an "effective team", and told Judge Stephen Ashurst of the brothers: "They both shared the same dishonest mindset."

They toured the country and struck in North Yorkshire, County Durham, Hartlepool, and across Lincolnshire and Lancashire during a three-year campaign to target residents on park home sites.

One resident, a 79-year-old widow, was forced to withdraw £8,500 on the day of her sister-in-law's funeral after she was cold-called by a man claiming her drainpipes needed to be renewed.

A 65-year-old who lived alone was charged £10,000 for needless work, and later described how she felt "pressurised, brainwashed and nervous" by the visit of a man who called himself John.

The team carried out work on a home in Hartlepool, and charged the owner £1,200 for underfloor heating which an expert said was "unfit for purpose with an element of overcharging".

At a nearby caravan park in Crimdon, County Durham, a couple handed over a "discounted" £1,550 for insulation work to their home and rust-proofing to the frame, said Mr Bennett.

Another victim was a man whose wife had died a month before being visited by the conmen, and whose son had passed away 18 months earlier, and described himself as being "in a fog".

In total, he paid the company - Guardian Park Homes, based in Gloucestershire - £17,400 for repairs which either were not necessary or now need expensive remedial work.

Nathan King, from Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire; his brother, 34, from Barnacle, Warwickshire; and Williams, 29, from Coventry, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to defraud.

The brothers were both jailed for two-and-a-half years, and Williams - also known as Mason - was given a ten-month prison sentence, which was suspended for two years.

After hearing they left 27 victims in their wake, Judge Ashurst told them: "This is in my judgement a bad case of its type. You are brazen, greedy and unscrupulous men.”

After the case, one victim “At our age we are vulnerable people and this company took advantage of us. By saying the right things and advertising in the park home magazine they came across as very plausible people.

"The whole process has been very depressing and has shown our vulnerabilities. If you make a financial mistake it does become a depressing thing, but to learn that we will get our money back means we’re no longer in that state.

"North Yorkshire Multi-Agency Safeguarding Team has demonstrated the upmost professional etiquette and has been never-ending in their pursuit of wrong doing. It’s fantastic that there are teams out there like them, to make our lives safer.”

Another added: “It is extremely sad and upsetting that this experience left me not believing or trusting anyone providing a service and to suspect everyone as having ulterior motives and being selfish and self-serving.

"On a more positive reflection, I have been impressed and greatly reassured by the human nature of the people I have spoken to from the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Team at North Yorkshire who have shown empathy, respect and genuine concern for our welfare and our need to see justice done in the hope this will ease the anger we have with the three men who abused our trust and have no conscience or remorse.

"We would like to thank the team for their perseverance and dedication. It is comforting to know that there are people who care.”

Speaking afterwards, Matt O'Neill, Assistant Director for Growth, Planning and Trading Standards at North Yorkshire County Council, said: "This case demonstrates yet again the unscrupoulous and determined way in which doorstep crime offenders are prepared to target the most vulnerable and cause them financial detriment and distress.

"We are delighted with the result and particularly the fact that we have been able to compensate all the victims in full."