You don't have to live in London long before you get offered a pair of bargain "high spec" speakers out of the back of a white van. It's like a coming-of-age ritual...once you've been offered some dodgy stereo equipment you can truly call yourself A Londoner.
But now there's a new scam on the block, something, which if you fall for it, is potentially far more embarrassing than buying two empty black boxes for a hundred quid.
It seems people in Waltham Forest are having their front doors stolen.
It works like this: Two men in a red van (a crafty decoy from the traditional white van method of daylight robbery) approach people on their doorstep. They then tell them there is a problem with their front door "such as a gap causing a leak which needs to be repaired".
They then leave...with the door!
That's it. We're not talking The Usual Suspects here, it really is that simple. What's amazing is that, so far, "three such cases have been reported to Waltham Forest police".
And of course, these blokes aren't targetting the Barratt Homes, they're after the old Victorian houses with doors worth hundreds, even thousands of quid.
If you are approached in your local pub and offered a large Victorian door for a bargain price, you should contact Leyton police station immediately on 020 8529 8666.
