Two brothers who were jailed for conning elderly and vulnerable people out of thousands of pounds by grossly overcharging them for unnecessary work to their homes have been ordered to pay back more than £229,000.

John and Mark Cooper, 20 and 31, both of Harrow Road, north Benfleet, were jailed for two years at Basildon Crown Court on Thursday, January 12, after carrying out rogue trading across Essex and East London, including in Colchester and Brightlingsea, between 2001 and 2014.

John Cooper had pleaded guilty to seven counts of money laundering while John Cooper admitted 12 counts.

The court had heard how the pair used different company names before cold calling their vulnerable victims and insisting work was required on their homes, driveways and front gardens.

The Coopers defrauded 12 people out of tens of thousands of pounds by telling people that their homes were structurally unsafe and if not fixed could pose a risk to members of the community.

On Friday, June 16, a judge at Basildon Crown Court ordered the brothers to pay back a total of £229,100 through the Proceeds of Crime Act.

John Cooper was ordered to pay back £189,000, while Mark Cooper will forfeit £40,050.

A total of £154,700 will be paid to their victims in compensation.

At the time of sentencing, both men were also made the subject of Serious Crime Prevention Orders (SCPO) which last for five years.

Any breach of the order is a criminal offence and is punishable by up to five years in prison and an unlimited fine.

Senior Investigating officer DI Lee Morton said he hoped the judgement would give the victims some closure.

He said: “The Cooper brothers conned vulnerable people out of thousands of pounds and in some cases, their life savings.

“This result means their victims will be compensated for any over charge on the work completed to their homes.

“We have worked tirelessly to bring the Cooper brothers to justice and to recover the money they conned out of their victims and this result shows the lengths we will go to get justice for the victims who suffered at the hands of two cold-hearted men who preyed on the vulnerable and elderly.

“I hope this recent outcome will bring them some closure.”