HE fought for his country and the freedom of others.

Disabled war veteran Raymond Yates never thought he would be a target for bogus workmen.

But the driver with the Eighth Army during the Second World War is making an appeal to help police catch the conmen who took more than £360 after claiming his Southampton home was in need of repairs.

The 86-year-old widower fell victim to the bogus workmen who called at his home in Bitterne offering to clear gutters and mend broken roof tiles.

After convincing him he needed the work doing to his home in River Walk, the tricksters charged him £360, but made no repairs to the building and even removed roof tiles.

"They are vultures," he said.

"They are scumbags. I just wish I was a soldier now so that I was strong enough to deal with them myself."

The incident happened when a man claiming to be working on homes in the area called at Mr Yates' front door offering to clear the gutters at a reduced rate.

"I thought they might need doing so it would be a good idea to take the offer up while he was here and we agreed a price.

"Then he said some roof tiles needed fixing."

Mr Yates agreed a new price for the work but didn't have the money so the workman took him to a post office in Manor Farm Road to collect cash.

Mr Yates told the Daily Echo how another worker had turned up to start the repairs and a woman was also in the white Transit van but remained silent.

Returning from the post office a flatbed lorry was spotted driving away from the house and Mr Yates was told it was delivering new materials.

After the workmen had collected his money from the grandfather, he even reached into a bowl of loose change and took the money as a tip.

"That was the last straw for me," said Mr Yates who was left with serious leg injuries after a landmine explosion in the Middle East during the war.

He described how he is also being treated for heart palpitations and has become so upset he is afraid he might have a heart attack.

"I knew something was wrong but I just wanted him out of the house in the end," he said.

The incident happened between 10am and 1pm on Monday.

Detective Constable Victoria Corbin said: "This was a particularly callous crime and has left the victim very distressed."

The conman is described as a 6ft white man of medium build. He had short dark brown hair, was clean-shaven, and wore a light top with dark trousers.

The woman in the van is described as white, of average height and slim build with medium length blonde hair.

Call police on 0845 045 4545 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.