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Conmen cousins who scammed an elderly couple out of more than £16,000 for gardening work worth just £1,200 have been ordered to pay back every penny they took.

Handymen Tony Joseph Jones and Peter Mark Roberts fleeced their victims for thousands of pounds for carrying out work which was later found to be of a standard "worse than the poorest DIY".

The pair were jailed for the fraud but found themselves back in court for a Proceeds of Crime Act (Poca) hearing.

Unlike many Poca proceedings where financial investigators find defendants do not have any money or assets, Swansea Crown Court heard Jones and Roberts have more than enough cash to pay back what they took.

However, as neither man has a bank account they are going to have to take cash to a bank to hand it in, and arrange a transfer of funds to the authorities.

The pair were jailed in January this year after pleading guilty to fraud by false representation .

The court heard how Jones, aged 27, and 45-year-old Roberts were employed by an elderly couple in Penllergaer, Swansea, to carry out a range of jobs on their newly-purchased property, including removing a tree and some fencing, power-washing a yard, removing moss from a garage roof, and clearing rubbish.

In total the conmen pocketed some £16,400 from the victims with another £4,000 payment agreed but not handed over.

The scam was only stopped when an eagle-eyed bank manager noticed the elderly couple were making a rapid series of large cash withdrawals from their account, and contacted the authorities.

The work the pair did do at their victims' property was later examined and described as being of a standard "worse than the poorest DIY".

The husband of the couple, who had been in poor health at the time the gardening scam, subsequently died.

Jones, formerly of Briton Ferry but latterly of Kinsgmoor Common, Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire , and Roberts, also formerly of Briton Ferry but latterly of Lotwen Road, Capel Hendre, Ammanford , were jailed for nine months and 12 months respectively.

At the time the court was told Roberts had no assets with which to pay any compensation, while Jones had a van which had been bought with cash from other members of the traveller community in order for him to expand his handyman business.

They were back in court on Wednesday, April 24 where a judge was asked to make orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Tom Scapens, for the prosecution, said the benefit figure from the pair's criminal conduct was £16,400 and it was agreed there were sufficient funds to meet it - he invited the judge to made an order in the same amount.

Emma Harris, for the cousins, said the pair had enough cash to meet the order but did not have bank accounts, so an alternative method of paying the money would have to be found.

Judge Geraint Walters made an order in the amount of £16,400 and directed it should be returned to the surviving victim as compensation.

The judge gave the cousins 12 weeks to pay the money, with 12 months in prison in default.