Council issues warning to rogue traders

Bridgend County Borough Council has issued a warning to rogue traders after receiving the annual report of the Shared Regulatory Service, which has highlighted how a series of successful prosecutions were carried out during 2020-21.

The Shared Regulatory Service (SRS), which provides public protection, environmental health and licensing services for Bridgend, Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan councils, has detailed how they dealt with several significant rogue builder and doorstep crime investigations over the past year.

In one case, four elderly residents paid out £30,000 for roofing which was entirely unnecessary as well as other bogus work carried out on their properties. The defendant also admitted to stealing £13,000 in cash from one of the homes, and was sentenced to 40 months in custody while his victims pursue compensation through a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing.

In another case, a rogue builder was handed a suspended two-year jail term after pleading guilty to one count under the Fraud Act 2006 and to six counts of engaging in misleading commercial practices under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

The defendant took substantial deposits from consumers for work that was of a poor standard, left incomplete or never even started. In total, consumers lost money to the value of £16,784. In addition to the suspended sentence, the defendant was ordered to complete a 10-day rehabilitation requirement and 100 hours of unpaid work. The complainants also sought compensation from a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing.

We are particularly pleased to see that we have been able to prosecute criminals who have exploited some of the most vulnerable people in the local community. We hope that this serves as a warning to anyone else who thinks that they can take thousands of pounds for work they either don’t do properly or have no intention of carrying out.

Do not make the mistake of thinking that just because there is a pandemic, you are somehow safe from investigation – you are not. We will always seek to support local people, and to prosecute those who prey upon them.

I would like to thank the Shared Regulatory Service for the excellent work that they continue to undertake, and their efforts to protect people from scammers, con-artists, rogue traders and more.

Councillor Dhanisha Patel, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Future Generations and a member of the Shared Regulatory Services Joint Committee

For more information in recognising the signs of a rogue trader visit the Shared Regulatory Services website.