Jailed Wiltshire rogue traders remained listed on Checkatrade

Matty Rossiter (left), James Rossiter and Dean Smith were jailed for fraud

A building firm whose owners were jailed over "bodge" roof repairs remained listed on an online trade directory after they were sentenced.

Dean Smith and brothers Matty and James Rossiter were jailed on 13 April after admitting a number of fraud offences.

Customers were able to find them through Checkatrade even while legal proceedings were active against them in 2022 and 2023.

Checkatrade removed the firm after they were contacted by the BBC on Tuesday.

Checkatrade said it had "zero tolerance for any tradespeople who fail to meet our high standards" and that over the past 12 months, it had received more than 600,000 reviews and removed more than 1,000 members.

It added that traders must pass up to 12 checks before they can join Checkatrade, and had to commit to uphold standards throughout their membership.

Smith, 21, and the Rossiter brothers used different company names depending on where in the country they were working. In this case on Checkatrade they were using the name Enterprise Roofing.

Others names they worked under included Southern Homecare, Chippenham Roofing, Skyline Roofing, Wiltshire Roofing and Yate Roofing.

The men filmed themselves boasting about overcharging and "bodging" work, while mocking an elderly victim.

Matty Rossiter, 18, of Minety in Wiltshire, was sentenced to two years and three months in prison. James Rossiter, 25, also of Minety, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison. Smith, of Aldermaston in Berkshire, was jailed for three years.

The builders appear to have still been active on the website after they were charged

A woman from Somerset, who wished to remain anonymous, said she had found the rogue traders listed in a Checkatrade leaflet.

She told the BBC that Matty Rossiter had quoted her £24,500 for what was initially a small building repair, but she was able to negotiate it down to £17,500.

"I can't believe Checkatrade hadn't picked up on the fact they were crooks," she said.

"They [Enterprise Roofing] kept identifying more work and more work. Eventually it was the whole roof.

"They hadn't used trays, they hadn't used the right tiles. They'd used mismatched tiles.

"The standard of the work was appalling. It was substandard," she added.

Reviews for the firm were left in 2022 when legal proceedings were ongoing

The woman said the roof eventually leaked and she paid £500 for a chartered surveyor and an additional £11,500 to get the work redone, which she believes was unnecessary.

After threatening Enterprise Roofing with legal action, she said she was able to get her £17,500 refunded, but said she felt the £11,500 to rectify her roof was probably a needless expense.

Darren Collins, from Wiltshire, said he was charged £4,200 for just three hours of roofing work.

He said he saw a Facebook advert for Enterprise Roofing and saw they had a Checkatrade logo on their leaflets.

The firm used the Checkatrade logo on their vans and branding

Mr Collins described his dealings with the builders as "intimidating" and said they started demanding upfront payments.

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Collins said the ordeal had affected both him and his wife's mental health.

"It affected the wife really badly, she wouldn't want people coming in the house anymore because she didn't trust no one," he said.

Checkatrade encouraged homeowners to review members to help others make an informed decision when selecting a trader, and to help it monitor if members are not upholding standards.

A Somerset customer contacted Enterprise Roofing through this Checkatrade leaflet

A spokesperson said: "Checkatrade was founded to stamp out the cowboy trades.

"Upon further investigation, and for not adhering to the Checkatrade Standard, Enterprise Roofing has since been removed from the platform."

Trading Standards advice urged residents to be extremely cautious of anyone who turns up on their doorstep offering to do work.

They also recommend homeowners get at least three quotes from different companies and ask for full details in writing, including the trader's name, address and the total price before any work takes place.