Fraudulent builders coerced a brain-damaged man into their van and forced him to go to cashpoints to pay £1,000 for a scam roofing project.

The victim - who did not want to be named - was contacted on the phone by a man claiming to be from Medway Council building services last week, before arranging for the team to visit his home in Court Lodge Road, Gillingham.

Relative Robert McCulloch Martin is now speaking out to warn others of the scam, in which the builders assessed the roof, and said they would need £4,000 to carry out repairs last Monday. March 7

The 67-year-old victim managed to negotiate a lower fee of £1,000, and paid £500 in cash before the men convinced him to get into their van to get the rest.

Robert said the victim was particularly vulnerable, having suffered permanent brain damage when they were run over by a drunk driver many years ago.

He added: "They got him to get into the van and escorted him to Aldi to get cash out, making sure he took out the money. He took out £300 at Aldi and they said it wasn't enough money so they took him to the bank where they got him to take out another £200."

The men then took him back to the house and carried out some poor quality remedial work - putting cement under tiles where the roof met the wall.

The builders said they would give him a receipt, but then left without giving any paperwork.

Robert believes many other vulnerable people could be vulnerable to the scam.

"These scammers are contacting individuals to convince them their local authority needs to inspect their properties, when all that they're interested in doing is using bullying to extort money out of vulnerable family members."

He said the crime was made even worse by the victim's condition, adding: "He was struck by a car in the 1970s by a drunk driver and left on the kerb side. He lost 75% of his blood and it's a miracle he survived - the brain damage did heal to an extent, but there's still scarring on his brain which is similar to dementia."

Kent Police confirmed they had received a report of an allegation of fraud in Gillingham.

A statement added: "The victim reported that on Monday March 7, two men arrived at his home in Court Lodge Road to repair some roof tiles.

"He was originally quoted £4,000 which was reduced to £1,000. He was then driven to a cash point to withdraw the money after they carried out the work. He reported that the work was not carried out to a satisfactory standard."

Advice and information about how not to become a victim of fraud can be found on the Kent Police website.

Medway Council’s building control services operates as a shared service partnership under the name STG Building Control.

The council states that when staff attend a site, they have all relevant documentation and identifications.

If residents are looking for a trader to carry out work in their homes, they are encouraged to use the Medway Fair Trader Scheme which lists companies who are accredited by Trading Standards. Click here for more information.

For general help and advice or to report a problem with a trader call the Citizens Advice Consumer helpline on 080 2231133.

Anyone with information that may help officers with the investigation is asked to contact Kent Police on 01634 792209 quoting reference 46/45320/22.