BOLTON'S gas suppler is taking on scam artists who prey on vulnerable people in the town.

Cadent is joining six other major utility companies to take on the criminals who con residents out of cash.

Employees of Cadent, the which provides the Bolton’s gas emergency service and manages its underground gas mains network, are being trained to become frontline ‘eyes and ears’ in a campaign to stop people being duped by criminals into parting with large amounts of money.

‘Utilities Against Scams’ (UAS) will provide training to thousands of staff who interact daily with customers in their home, on the phone, or digitally. They can then more easily spot warning signs, provide help and report potential scams.

The new group also involves Anglian Water, British Gas, The Consumer Council for Water, Plusnet, SSE and Yorkshire Wate

Jo Giles, customer safeguarding manager at Cadent, said: “This is about empowering people to take a stand against scams by identifying, preventing and reporting them.”

“Scams are becoming more commonplace, sophisticated and harder to spot."