Cold callers are flocking to front doors flogging dodgy fresh fish to fill freezers, a council has warned.
Lancashire County Council said residents should not deal with high-pressure salesmen trying to sell hundreds of pounds worth of fish on their doorstep.
Householders, including elderly people, believe they are only buying a few pieces but are then presented with freezer-filling quantities, the council said.
Some have reported feeling pressurised into handing over cash up to £400.
The council’s cabinet member for public protection, Cllr Janice Hanson, said: ‘You are taking a risk by buying on the doorstep from an unknown trader as this fish may be of poor quality or be unfit to eat.
‘Several elderly consumers in Lancashire have been misled into thinking they are buying a few pounds worth of fish, then feel pressurised into having to pay an enormous bill and accept more fish than their freezers can take.’
