CARBON credits are a complicated business. Too complicated for many, no doubt. The credits are issued to organisations by the UN when one tonne of carbon dioxide is stopped from being emitted into the atmosphere.

Importantly, they can be traded for money – and this is where scammers have thrived. As we report today, a firm trading from a sham location in Oxford ripped off old people with high-pressure sales techniques that ended with them being left out of pocket. Clearly this is outrageous and it is right that the High Court has wound this and other groups like it up. But there is a danger here that a worthy cause will be tarnished. These credits may be confusing to many of us – but if they aim to cut carbon emissions, that is something we should all support. Scammers are a scourge that we grow tired of hearing about. They pester the elderly and prey on the vulnerable – whether by doorstepping or with endless unsolicited phone calls. The courts are taking action. Let’s hope others out there still conning the general public soon face the full force of the law.