POLICE have raided two Hampshire homes this morning as part of a crackdown on doorstep conmen.

Officers forced entry to a home in Botany Bay Road in Southampton and also a property in Thatcham as part of the nationwide crackdown on the problem.

Property has been seized from both addresses and a 45-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit fraud. He is currently being questioned by police.

The raids are the culmination of a week of action which has seen Hampshire police visit more than 1,000 previous victims of doorstep crime.

More than 700 drivers have also been stopped and spoken to when police used a “ring of steel” operation at 14 checkpoints across the county.

More than 250 officers with Automatic Number Plate Recognition equipment scanned thousands of number plates in a bid to deny criminals the use of the roads.

They worked together with 100 Trading Standards staff to seek out doorstep criminals including rogue traders and distraction burglars.

They also sought to educate traders regarding responsible practices such as allowing customers a cooling off period of seven days.

PC Steve Court said: “Our aim is to support our communities and raise awareness of doorstep criminals and the tricks they use to gain access to victim's homes or to trick them out of their money.

“This is a particularly callous and despicable crime that affects vulnerable people in the place they should feel safest - their own homes.

“Hopefully our action this week has demonstrated our ongoing commitment to target the perpetrators of these crimes and ensure they are cannot operate in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

“We aim to build on the activity of this week to continue to work with our communities in order to keep doorstep criminals out.”