YOU have to give Britain’s army of con artists credit for one thing. They know a business opportunity when they see one. The first stage of the digital switchover comes to Poole and Bournemouth tomorrow, when the analogue signal that has served us throughout the history of television is switched off.

That means your set will need either a Freeview system, or to be hooked up to a satellite or cable service. But it does not mean that you have to believe what some enterprising rogue trader tells you at your front door.

Poole trading standards is warning that some people might well get a visit from someone trying to sell them unnecessary equipment, such as a non-existent “digital aerial”. And sometimes their motive might just be to distract the householder while they get indoors and look for valuables.

The new era of TV can bring us a wider choice of viewing, whether you’re a fan of sports, soaps, romance or crime dramas. But what we all really need to watch for are the cowboys.