An elderly Keighley woman paid £1,500 for a therapeutic mattress after hard-sell rogues tricked their way into her home.

The recently-widowed woman, who is in her late 70s, was conned into agreeing to a home visit after a phone caller claimed to be selling a miracle cream cure. After letting the salesman into her home she was persuaded to buy a “super deluxe therapy pad”, which it was claimed would cure her back ailment.

But the woman’s condition worsened after using the mattress.

Now trading standards officers are trying to get the contract cancelled and the woman’s money back after they were alerted by her carer.

David Lodge, of West Yorkshire Trading Standards, said: “This is a typical example of a product being missold and profit being put before anyone’s personal health care.

“Consumers should not be pressurised into parting with cash, or giving their credit details over the phone, or let people into their homes.

“The chances are they are going to sell you something by high-pressure sales techniques. If you feel you are being pressurised into something, be aware you have cancellation rights.”