A conman builder who tricked an 81-year-old woman into giving him £3,000 has been jailed for a year.

Steven Deacon, 21, of Daniel Close, Lancing, pleaded guilty to criminal deception after trading standards experts inspected roof repairs he made to Beatrice Payne's home, on January 23.

At Chichester Crown Court yesterday, Elizabeth Smaller, prosecuting, said: "Deacon knocked on the complainant's door and as they were engaged in conversation, he pointed out that she had a defect in her roof and offered to have a look."

Deacon assured Ms Payne, from Lancing, that he was a registered builder and, when he saw a damp patch inside the semi-detached bungalow, upped the price of repairs to £3,600.

Ms Payne talked him down to £3,000 for cash and the con man went to work.

But as she tried to withdraw the money from her bank, staff at the Woolwich Building Society became suspicious.

Ms Smaller said: "When the bank's concerns were made known to the complainant, she tried to stop the cheque but it was too late."

A trading standards officer said no new work had been carried out on the pensioner's roof.

Ms Smaller added: "In a police interview, Deacon admitted having no qualifications as a builder."

Judge Robin Barratt, on sentencing, said: "I must set an example.

"Young people of your sort go about taking advantage of elderly people by frightening them into thinking much more work needs to be done to their properties, persisting in letting them believe the situation is worse than they think, then carrying out work to a standard that is so poor."