Why Nottingham knockers are named after city

Police have warned people not to engage with anyone trying to sell goods on their doorstep

Their name may be associated with the city, but Nottingham knockers can strike anywhere in the country.

They are known for going door-to-door, flogging cleaning products to vulnerable people for overinflated prices.

The long-standing ruse, reported in Derbyshire, Surrey, and Sussex in recent weeks, even led to a national campaign - Operation Repeat - being set up more than a decade ago by Trading Standards and UK police forces to increase awareness.

So what exactly is a Nottingham knocker, and why does the East Midlands city feature in the name?

Nottingham knockers traditionally take the form of young men who descend on an area together in a car or van.

They arrive with a bag full of cleaning products each and a plan to go door-to-door in search of cash sales.

While selling on the doorstep is not illegal, they are known for their aggressive tactics, poor quality products, and premium price tags, according to Operation Repeat.

Often, the waters are muddied by a claim they are ex-offenders trying to make an honest living and a mocked-up ID card, the campaign adds.

Emma Boulton, Nottingham City Council principal Trading Standards officer, said sales people can be licensed by the police to go door-to-door - but people do not have to answer their door to uninvited callers.

She added: "If you've got a spy hole, use that, or look through a window to see who's calling.

"If you don't recognise them, you don't have to answer the door. It's your property, so it's your choice.

"If you do answer the door and you do find that they're trying to use aggressive selling techniques, again, we'd always recommend use your door chain, ensure all doors and windows are locked, don't buy anything from an uninvited caller, and don't rely on any of the caller's ID - it can be fake."

Nottingham residents can request a 'No Cold Calling' sticker from the city council to place on their property, she said.

But she added that knockers are "not more prolific" in Nottingham and "people peddle their wares all across the country".

So why Nottingham?

The association with Nottingham stretches back decades, with police appeals across the UK using the term in the early 2000s.

Operation Repeat said decades ago the Nottingham knockers phrase was coined over a belief the sellers came from Nottingham and bought their goods from "a warehouse at Clifton".

Clifton East councillor Kevin Clarke said he recalled the tactic stretching back to the 1980s and 1990s - although locally he said they were just known as "Knockers".

He added: "They used to make a lot of money in a very short time, and they would leave Clifton and go away for a day or two and then come back.

"I think the main concern was with vulnerable people being sold these cheap products for extortionate prices.

"Certain people have a harder time saying no to pushy people on their doorstep.

"But I think it was a thing that went on nationally, I don't think it's a good image to portray Nottingham [with]."

Operation Repeat advises people not to answer the door to cold callers, not to let visitors into your home, and not to pay cash on the doorstep.

It said to report any Nottingham knockers to police, and to speak to vulnerable relatives, friends and neighbours about the scam.