Letter: Beware of Guildford’s ‘Nottingham Knockers’

Published on: 14 May, 2021
Updated on: 14 May, 2021

From: Name and address supplied

Naively, I had never heard the phrase “Nottingham Knockers” until this week. We live in a mostly secluded place on the outskirts of Guildford town but sometimes people find us.

Yesterday we had a young lad who purported to be from a “drug rehabilitation” programme seeking to make a better life for himself. He shoved a poorly-laminated card in my face and claimed his name was “Callum”, trying to turn his life around.

He was dressed in dark sport-like clothing and had a very large duffel bag on his shoulders.

One of many references to “Nottingham Knockers on the social media’s “Next Door”

When I politely said I wasn’t interested he became VERY aggressive. He walked down the stairs shouting abuse at me, including threatening to smash my car and break into my house.

He stopped only when I pointed out that our CCTV had captured him and I managed to slam the door shut.

I immediately telephoned 999. They took the call very seriously and have already followed up, asking for copies of the CCTV. They also told me other parts of Guildford were targeted with a similar modus operandi that day.

To say this episode left me shaken and scared would be an understatement. I’m normally a strong person but this was not pleasant and I’m still unnerved 48 hours later.

But I am writing this as a warning to everyone to be very careful who they open the door to. Also PLEASE report anything of this kind to the police. They will listen and follow up. Stay safe.