A man has lost £16,000 in two internet dating scams after sending money overseas to girls who failed to turn up.

David Hodgkinson, from Margate in Kent, advertised his profile on a variety of internet dating sites and was approached by a Russian woman called 'Natalia'. 

Hodgkinson sent the woman £10,000 so that she could obtain a visa and purchase a ticket to fly over and meet him in the UK.

After being given a variety of arrival dates he went to Heathrow to meet her four times but she never arrived.

"I feel no ill in my heart. I did really love her," Hodgkinson told the BBC.

Hodgkinson then tried a Christian dating site and stared chatting with a woman from Senegal. He sent her £6,000 but again she failed to turn up.

Hodgkinson borrowed money from his elderly mother and remortgaged his home to pay for the two girls. His mother is now taking out a loan to clear his debts.

"I did tell him off about keeping going to Heathrow," she said. "In my heart I knew they wouldn't ever turn up. But he never listened."