‘Industrial scale’ rogue trader jailed for two years

Daniel Dyer was described by Wiltshire Trading Standards as "rogue trading on an industrial scale"

A Wiltshire builder has been jailed for two years after pleading guilty to fraud, money laundering and trading standards offences.

Daniel Dyer, 32 of Warminster Road, Westbury, traded as Ashwood Home Improvements (SW) Ltd, which was liquidated in November 2022.

Wiltshire Trading Standards says it received more than 20 complaints against Dyer and described him as “rogue trading on an industrial scale”.

At Salisbury Crown Court, Dyer's barrister said he was “genuinely sorry” and he had never intended to put his customers through this sort of ordeal.

He said Dyer had been trying to run a company but it had got “out of control”, and he also promised he would never reoffend.

Judge Adam Feest said many people would agree with the description of Dyer as “ruthless, unscrupulous and greedy”, although he accepted that Dyer was genuinely remorseful.

Part of Trudi McHugh's extension is held up by two wooden planks. It has been built over her rear window

The judge said: “Many have struggled to put their lives back together after the devastation you caused. The impact of your behaviour will be felt for many years to come.”

Dyer has been banned from running a company for eight years.

Customers complained about paying for work that either was not completed, was substandard or was in some cases dangerous.

Trudi McHugh paid Dyer £32,000 in 2021 for an extension to her Grade II-listed cottage in Westbury.

He stopped work in April 2022 with the extension unfinished. Part of it was still held up by wooden supports.

The extension was built over a window, plastic tiles were used instead of slate, and the architect’s plans was not followed. She was advised it could be unsafe to set foot in, or underneath, it.

The damage caused by the extension means Ms McHugh's house lost about 40% of its value

She was unable to live in the house and ended up selling it for £98,650 when it had been valued at £165,000 before he began the work.

She said: “It’s been the most awful experience I could ever imagine. I was in such a limbo for three years.

“I was sofa surfing, sleeping on my dad’s sofa while he’s dying of cancer. I’ve been on sleeping tablets, I’ve had anxiety. I just didn’t see any way out.

“At my time of life I’m never going to have my own home again.”

Water flooded through the property during the work, destroying most of Ms McHugh's possessions.

Overall, she estimates she has lost as much as £200,000 including the drop in value of her house.

Jan Shrapnell wanted her house made suitable for a wheelchair user

Another customer of Dyer's, Jan Shrapnell, 68, from Trowbridge, is registered as disabled and has a number of health conditions.

She said: “Due to ill health, I can’t have new knees, and because of breathing and heart problems, I could end up in a wheelchair. I need [my home] to be on the level, with easy access.”

She was also hoping her elderly mother could move in with her if needed.

Dyer quoted her £50,000 for a new extension in February 2020, and Ms Shrapnell paid a £15,000 deposit, with work supposed to be completed within 10 weeks.

He began work in January 2021 but stopped working in June that year, after Ms Shrapnell had paid him the full £50,000.

Her house was still unfinished when he left, and she has now paid more than £10,000 put things right.

Jan Shrapnell's extension was unfinished despite her paying Daniel Dyer over £50,000

She says: “When he left it, none of the plumbing had been finished. The electrics weren’t done... the windows weren’t in properly. The doors weren’t on and finished properly with massive draughts coming through. The tiles, half of them were broken.”

She was left without a kitchen sink for several months and had to use a bucket and outside tap.

Dyer’s initial quote includes provision for a new "rammped entrance" [sic] but Ms Shrapnell still needs to use breeze blocks outside her front door to help get into the house.

Daniel Dyer's quote included provision for a ramped entrance, but Jan still uses breeze blocks to help her in and out of her home

“It’s caused me a lot of stress," she said. "Everyone thinks what a fool I’ve been to trust a builder. And it does make you not want to trust anybody again.”

Ms Shrapnell won a County Court claim for £37,000 against Dyer in February 2023, but says he so far he has repaid her only £5,000.

Eileen Kelly's husband John had a stroke while they were waiting for Daniel Dyer to start work on their extension

Another customer, Eileen Kelly from Trowbridge, believes Daniel Dyer took advantage of her husband’s ill health.

She waited nine months for Dyer to start work on her extension and garage conversion after paying a deposit in April 2020.

While she was waiting, her husband John had a major stroke, which affected his sight and required a substantial amount of physiotherapy.

She said: “I was consumed with trying to get John on the right track. I was also having to work full-time. The whole thing was just too much for me.”

She paid Daniel Dyer more than £80,000 after he kept asking her for more money, despite his original quote being £38,600 + VAT. Ms Kelly estimates he did about £20,000 worth of work.

However, much of that was substandard and she has subsequently paid more than £26,000 to have it corrected.

New builders have told her some of the work was dangerously poor and could have led to parts of the house collapsing.

Eileen Kelly was told substandard brickwork, like this in her house, could have been dangerous

She says, “I thought I’d done everything correctly by getting quotes, getting references. I’m trying not to think about it because I would get very upset and I wouldn’t be able to move forward.

“I am very upset about it and I’m trying not to go down that road because I don’t think I could come back.”

Trading Standards say Mr Dyer’s rogue trading involved huge losses for customers.

Emma Carroll, Wiltshire Trading Standards Manager, said: “This is rogue trading on an industrial scale. The amount of money his victims have lost is seventy, eighty, ninety thousand pounds in some cases.

“These people have been left in financial ruin. They haven’t got the money to put things right so they are still living with this day to day.”