A gardener has been banned from cold-calling customers, harassing them and marching them to their banks to obtain cash.

William Chapman, 49, was served with an antisocial behaviour order (Asbo) after ten elderly residents complained about his behaviour.

He charged one 79-year-old woman £1,500 for minor work and an 85-year-old couple £200 for pulling down a fence without their permission while they were out. When the couple returned they were told to get their shoes on to go to a cash machine to withdraw the money.

Chapman, of The Rookery, Oak Tree Lane, Eastbourne, has already been jailed once for ripping off the vulnerable elderly.

He and his brother Richard Chapman, 41, were sentenced to 12 months in July 1999, for charging pensioners over the odds for more than 100 jobs.

East Sussex Trading Standards, which applied for the Asbo, said Chapman could have been jailed if the resources had been available to gather evidence against him.

The Asbo served on Monday was the first ever sought by the county's Trading Standards office. It also prevents Chapman causing alarm or distress to customers or contacting previous clients. If he breaks the terms of the Asbo he could face a criminal prosecution.

Councillor Bob Tidy, responsible for community services in East Sussex, said: "We take this issue very seriously."

The complaints made against Chapman were all from residents over the age of 75 living in Eastbourne, Bexhill, Hailsham and Seaford.

In July 2005, Trading Standards were notified by a 94-year-old Bexhill man's bank that large amounts of money were being withdrawn from his account for gardening services.

He had work done for him by Chapman but could not remember agreeing to it. The gardener handed him a scrap of paper with figures scrawled on it as a receipt.

An 84-year-old woman in Eastbourne agreed to pay Chapman £120 in August to cut back an apple tree after he called at her house. After doing minimal work he insisted the woman pay £250 in cash and escorted her to a bank to get the money.

Chapman has also been served with an Enforcement Order which bans him from making misleading statements about the nature and price of work, harassing customers and failing to complete work to a reasonable standard.