A man with an Italian accent drove off shouting "Mamma Mia" after he failed to con a pensioner.

The 80-year-old was a approached by a man in Park Lane, Carshalton, three weeks ago.

The man, in a small blue car, pulled into the kerb and the driver asked the pensioner for help getting to Gatwick Airport.

The driver said he was returning to Italy after being at a fashion exhibition in London and was lost.

After the pensioner had given him directions the driver said he had samples of the merchandise from the exhibition he wished to give to the pensioner as a present.

The driver produced a black suede-leather jacket with a BOSS label on it and said: "I would like to present this to you. It is worth about 100 Euros. Please take it."

The pensioner said it seemed to be too good to be true and he was about to refuse when the driver added another suede jacket.

The pensioner said: "By now I was certain this was a con somehow.

"He then started to tell me his sob story that he had spent too much time at this fashion show and had not been able to get his son, in Italy, a present and that he had no money - Could I help him?"

The pensioner said he could not help him out and walked away leaving him with the jackets.

The man then drove off shouting "Mamma Mia".

Soon after, the pensioner told some of his friends about his encounter and one of them recounted a similar incident happening to him a few years previously.