L-R: PCSO Emil Gabriele, Inspector Miles Topham, Gary Webster, Group Leader at Cornwall Trading Standards, Tri-Service Safety Officer Phil Graham, Cllr Pete Mitchell, Cllr Thalia Marrington and local residents George Gall and Les Donnithorne
No Cold Caller Zones are being introduced across Cornwall to help protect residents from rogue traders and other doorstep criminals.
Working alongside Cornwall’s Tri-Service Safety Officers and Devon and Cornwall Police, Cornwall Council’s Trading Standards Team have launched a new No Cold Caller Zone in the Penwinnic Parc and Middlegates area of St Agnes.
Signs have been put up in the area and residents have been given stickers to put on their doors telling cold callers to stay away.
It’s the first in a new series of No Cold Caller Zones, which are designed to deter cold callers and increase awareness and reporting of doorstep crime, such as rogue trading and doorstep burglaries.
The zones will be patrolled by Cornwall’s Tri-Service Safety Officers, who work collaboratively with Devon and Cornwall Police, Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service and the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.
Cold calling in a No Cold Caller Zone is considered an aggressive practice under the Digital Markets competitions and Consumer Act 2024. If prosecuted, offenders could be fined or sentenced to up to two years in prison.
In a recent consultation, residents in the Penwinnic Parc and Middlegates area welcomed the scheme.
George Gall said: “We feel safer now the estate has been designated a No Cold Caller Zone. The fewer uninvited people looking for opportunities to defraud or steal from us, the better."
Cornwall’s Trading Standards team will be rolling out other No Cold Caller Zones across Cornwall and will be consulting with residents in selected areas over the coming months.
Councillor Thalia Marrington, Cabinet member with responsibility for Community Safety and Public Health at Cornwall Council, said: “We often receive complaints about cold callers targeting residents and pressuring them into making a purchase or agreeing to have work done.
“We know that criminals will often target vulnerable residents, especially older people. As well as losing money, victims can be left feeling embarrassed and scared to stay in their own home.
“These cases can be really heartbreaking and we need to do all we can to protect people this type of crime.
“These zones send a very clear message that cold calling will not be tolerated and I’m looking forward to seeing them rolled across the Duchy.”
Press release issued on October 22, 2025