Rogue trader jailed for scamming customers

William Longhurst was sentenced at Shrewsbury Crown Court

A rogue trader has been jailed for defrauding victims of more than £35,000 for work he failed to carry out or did to a poor standard.

William Longhurst, 32, admitted eight fraud charges and two related regulatory offences.

Shrewsbury Crown Court heard he scammed six people in Telford and Shrewsbury, taking upfront payments for non-existent or shoddy work.

Longhurst, of Nursery Road, Stoke-on-Trent, was charged following an investigation by trading standards officers from Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Councils.

His victims were usually elderly and often lived alone, officials said.

Victims reported Longhurst would initially seem plausible, but seek payment in advance for things like materials, scaffolding or skips which would never arrive.

He made repeated excuses for delays, while identifying further work for which he would request additional payments.

Later, he made false claims as to the necessity and urgency of repair work, instilling a sense of fear and anxiety in his targeted victims, rendering them even more vulnerable.

One victim was told her roof was rotten, and could cave in if it snowed.

He told another her roof had "huge problems" with damp, taking £26,000 in advance payments.

Chris Schofield, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for planning and regulatory services, said: "When traders operate fraudulently it impacts the ability of legitimate businesses to thrive, and both the financial and health impacts on individual victims and their families are severe."

The councils urged people who thought they had fallen victim to similar scams to contact Citizens Advice.