to think the young offender door to door selling clearly hasn't changed

[Whoneedssleepanyway]

Guy knocks on my door, asking if I would buy something from him, tells me he is from young offenders scheme, he has been bad in the past but is trying to turn things around, I tell him (truthfully) I have no money literally about £2 in change, he then says don't worry I will accept a cheque, I don't even have a cheque book anymore and so say sorry, at which point he starts mouthing off at me, yeah buy you're not sorry are you, you don't give a shit etc (my kids are at the door with me). I shut the door on him but really wanted to give him a piece of my mind, I mean seriously with that attitude does he expect people to buy stuff from him...???

why are they always from Middlesbrough?

This is the advice from my local police (obviously in Hampshire!):

These persons are what we call, "Nottingham Knockers". They are bussed up in a Northern location and brought to the South in their minibus with items of household cleaners etc to sell. The people who they work for take a percentage and provide transportation. They are generally recently released offenders. If you ask to see their trading licence they will generally show you one issued in Nottingham, hence the name given to them.
It is unlawful for them to sell door to door on this licence in the Hampshire area. Hampshire County Council would have to issue them with a licence to operate in this County and Hampshire point blank refuse to give anyone a pedlars certificate if they have previous convictions*. Therefore they are operating in breach of a pedlars certificate and the Police can deal with them for this offence.
If you receive any further visits or see them in your area again, please call us on 101 and we will endeavour to speak with them at the time. As a general rule we report them for the offence and take their goods as evidence. If they agree to disclaim the goods we don't generally prosecute as it is unlikely they would come back anyway and we hope by doing this they will leave our area and not come back!

so that is their advice.
*imagine all councils have same policy

I always thought this was a scam - we get this one, and the "art students" selling their work. It's a sign of the sorry state of the economy how often they come round.

I have never known what to make of this so am reading with interest. More often than not they have been polite, but I have had a couple being rude.

Whenever I have bought something it has been overpriced which is to be expected, but also crap. I just don't buy anything now. There's a horrible feeling of guilt with implied threat going on.

I just bought some overpriced tat from one of these lads. He was v polite and not hard sell at all.TBH, after reading up thread, think will just offer a couple of quid to next one, rather than fill my house with junk I don't really want.
I give to 'homeless and hungry', and Big Issue sellers so I suppose is just an extension of the same.
At least they could pocket a couple of quid and still have the item, then not give money to 'Mr Big'?

advice www.essex.police.uk/news_features/features_archive/2011/march/warning_over_nottingham_knock.aspx