SURREY County Council Trading Standards has secured an Anti-social Behaviour Order (ASBO) to prevent a roofer who cheated a Farnham pensioner from further "cold-calling" on the elderly. Frank Wenman, who trades as Pro Flat Roofing from Burnt Hill, Plaistow Road, Godalming, was fined £1,200 and had the ASBO imposed by magistrates at Guildford last Thursday, after pleading guilty to making misleading claims about roofing work being carried out on a bungalow in Farnham. The court heard how Wenman cold-called an 83-year-old retired engineer and persuaded him to pay £700 to recoat the flat roof of part of his bungalow with a bitumastic coating and lay a new covering of sun-reflecting gravel. Wenman started work the next day, helped by other younger men who described themselves to the consumer as being his son and grandson. When Wenman was up on the roof, he told the customer that he had seen other storm damage on an adjoining slope and a further figure of £300 was agreed for this and other remedial work. He was paid £1,000 in cash and gave two invoices that stated that two flat roofs had been covered with Rubberoid and valleys had been repointed. The pensioner became frustrated with Wenman's lack of action in supporting him with claiming on his home insurance for the alleged storm-damage element of the work and contacted Surrey Trading Standards. On investigating the complaint, Surrey Trading Standard's independent expert Roger Hygate found that the flat roof still had the original covering from some 10 years earlier and all that had been done in this area was for some more gravel to be sprinkled over the roof area. No repointing of valleys had been done. Wenman pleaded guilty to an offence of dishonesty, offences of two misdescriptions under the Trade Descriptions Act and failing to give cancellation rights in a written notice. In addition to the £1,200 in fines, he was ordered to pay £662 in prosecution costs and £1,000 compensation to his victim. Surrey Trading Standards, together with Surrey Police, then applied for an ASBO. The court was presented with evidence that Wenman had a history of cold-calling on elderly people and had previously signed an undertaking to stop his questionable practices. The ASBO was aimed at stopping Wenman cold-calling consumers, to stop him being on consumers' premises without their express permission and to prevent him causing harassment, alarm and distress. The ASBO was granted by the magistrates and will remain in place for the full five years. The magistrates advised Wenman that any breach could cause him to be sent to prison for up to five years. County trading standards officer Peter Denard said: "We receive hundreds of complaints about uninvited workmen 'ripping off' elderly people and our investigation has exposed Mr Wenman and his dubious business practices. He charged £1,000 for virtually nothing - just a few stones and the removal of a bit of moss. "If consumers find Mr Wenman is breaching the ASBO, they should contact the Consumer Direct Advice Service on 08454 040506."