Anglesey Trading Standards is continuing to crackdown on rogue builders with a second prosecution in the space of a few weeks.
Liam Ryan Lock - trading as North Wales Property Maintenance - pleaded guilty to two charges under the Fraud Act; a charge under Theft Act and a charge under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations, for failing to demonstrate a lack of professional diligence.
Holyhead Magistrates ordered Lock, 20, of 4, Bryn Gwna, Bethel, Bodorgan, to pay fines and costs totalling £600, including £350 compensation to his vulnerable elderly victim. Holyhead Magistrates heard that worked he’d carried out in November 2010 had been substandard.
A Police Building Inspector, drafted in by trading standards officers following a complaint, said the work fell well below the quality expected of a professional trade person.
Anglesey’s Chief Trading Standards Officer David Riley welcomed the conviction and warned home improvement professionals to maintain high standards.
He added, “Rogue Builders damage the reputation of genuine traders by preying on the vulnerable; overcharging, using aggressive trading practices and carrying out substandard work. This kind of fraudulent activity won’t be tolerated and those offending will be brought before the courts.”
Senior Enforcement Officer, Martin Wyn Jones, who led the investigation said, “When members of the public employ trades people, prices should be fair and work should be professional. This was certainly not the case with Liam Lock. Consumers should also be provided with a written cancellation notice which gives them the chance to cancel a contract within seven days should they choose to do so.”
This is the second recent conviction of a rogue builder secured by Anglesey Trading Standards.
In November, Oswyn Gruffudd Williams, 38, of 31, Maes Meuring Gwalchmai - trading as Anglesey Gardening Services - was found guilty of one charge under the Fraud Act and three charges under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations, including engaging in an aggressive practice and demonstrating a lack of professional diligence.
A complaint was received from an elderly vulnerable resident in January 2010 after work was carried out on her property and garden. The trader had called himself ‘John’, but it was in fact Oswyn Williams. A Police Building Inspector described the work as “…one of the most sub standard…” he had seen and “…totally unprofessional…”
Trading Standards also uncovered aggressive practices, with Oswyn Williams using a threatening note to intimidate the elderly lady into paying for work. Despite displaying the ‘Fair Trades’ logo on paperwork and his vehicle, he was found guilty of failing to meet minimum standards of his membership. Although Williams had not been paid for the work carried out at the property, he was ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £675.
