A PENSIONER left without a driveway by a rip-off builder has finally got what she wanted thanks to her community — and The Bolton News.

Elsie Derbyshire, 77. of Skipton Street, Tonge Fold, was devastated after the tradesman walked out halfway through replacing her drive, leaving the front of her property like a building site.

He had taken up and driven away the flagstones and had been given £800 towards the work but never returned after Mrs Derbyshire refused to hand over more money.

PCSO Paul Lally, of Bolton North Neighbourhood Policing Team, became aware of the incident and with the help of Alison Dalton, a church-related community work minister, arranged for the job to be put right.

Retired self-employed flag-layer Peter Carroll and Danny Warburton, who lays flagstones for Bolton Council, separately volunteered to do the work.

PCSO Lally appealed for help from the local branches of builders merchants Travis Perkins and the managers of the chain's Horwich, Bolton and Farnworth stores donated the stones and cement needed to allow Mr Carroll and Mr Warburton - strangers up until this point - to start on Monday.

Mr Warburton said: "I'm a local lad and if the same thing happened to my grandmother I would do the same thing.

"I don't like to see someone getting ripped off on my doorstep.

"I read about Elsie in The Bolton News and I came down - I only live two minutes away - and knocked on Elsie's door and said: 'I'll do the work for you for free'.

"She said someone else had already promised the same thing and she put me in touch with Peter."

Mr Carroll, of Bromley Cross, said: "When I saw it in the paper, I couldn't believe it.

"I drove down to Mrs Derbyshire's house and said I'd do the work for nothing as long as we could get the materials for free. She was very reticent to talk to me and was very afraid and frightened. She'll be happy when we've finished."

The labouring duo expect to finish the driveway today.

Mrs Dalton, who is from Church at the Centre located at Tonge Children's Centre, Starkie Road, Tonge Moor, said: "My reaction is: being new to Bolton and new to Tonge Moor how inspiring it is to see people working together for the benefit of someone who has had their confidence challenged by this.

"Even though Danny and Peter were really willing, she was reluctant to open the door to them.

"But by the end of Monday I had been down to see her and she talked about feeling like a cloud had lifted off of her.

"Danny lives round the corner and he had arranged to take some time off work to upgrade his own property and she said she was just so pleased that someone from Tonge Fold is helping her because she has given so much to the local community."

Greater Manchester Police have decided not to proceed with a criminal investigation after deciding it is a civil matter.

Bolton Trading Standards is probing the builder. who is believed to have worked on at least four other homes in Tonge Fold, and Bolton Council suspended his partner, who is a council care worker, when the allegations came to light.