Issued by City of York Council
A roofer who took £1,400 for shoddy chimney repairs from York residents last year has been successfully prosecuted by City of York Council and was ordered yesterday (22 October 2013) to repay his victims in full and undertake 280 hours work in the community.
The three residents of Grange Garth, Fishergate complained to City of York Council’s Trading Standards for the poor work of Andrew Joseph Gaskin of 3 Dalkieth Avenue, Hartlepool. He had cold-called his victim, telling two of them that he had carried out repairs to a neighbour’s house earlier in the year which was not true.
He also promised to repair the residents’ chimney stacks and other parts of the roof using special machinery and scaffolding – neither of which he did.
An expert chartered surveyor who examined the repairs described the work as “appalling” and “no value whatsoever”.
One of the residents said that she tried to challenge Mr Gaskin about the work but decided to pay when he prodded her with his finger and swore at her. Another paid because he found Mr Gaskin intimidating.
Trading standards officers traced Mr Gaskin to the address in Hartlepool, even though he had provided none of the paperwork required by law and had given a telephone number with a dead line.
Mr Gaskin pleaded guilty at York Magistrates Court to three summonses under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 for trading contrary to the principles of professional diligence. He told the hearing that he no longer worked as a roofer.
He was ordered to pay compensation of £300, £500 and £600 respectively to his victims and was given a discount from the maximum penalty of 300 hours community service for pleading guilty.
Cllr Linsay Cunningham-Cross, Cabinet Member for Crime and Stronger Communities, said: “This is the latest in a string of cases where we have successfully prosecuted rogue traders who cold call innocent residents and extort considerable sums of money. We all place a lot of trust on those working on our homes.
“This case shows that our officers will track down anyone who abuses that trust and that the council and the courts treat these offences seriously.”
Anyone with a complaint about rogue traders is urged to contact City of York Council’s trading standards team via the Citizens Advice Consumer helpline on 08454 040506.
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