Chippenham men plead guilty to fraud and unfair trading offences

The work was found to be of an "abysmal standard"

Two men have pleaded guilty to fraud and unfair trading offences after their roofing work was found to be of an "abysmal standard".

William Birch, 38, and John Sykes, 35, both from Chippenham, carried out the work the work while trading as J's Roofing and Building.

Wiltshire trading standards officers were alerted by staff at Lloyds Bank who were concerned that the victim had fallen foul of rogue traders.

The two men will be sentenced in June.

They were taken to court over their work involving replacing a flat roof and fitting a window in June 2021, after a Wiltshire Council investigation found it was below an acceptable industry standard.

Trading standards officers arranged for a chartered surveyor to examine the quality of the work and their report stated that there was "no evidence of any basic skill, competence or understanding of work of this nature".

It was also noted that there was a strong possibility that the roof could buckle and collapse.

Wiltshire trading standards officers were notified by staff at Lloyds Bank

The victim had agreed for the work to be carried out in response to flyers posted through their letterbox, Swindon Crown Court heard.

Councillor Nick Holder, cabinet member for public protection said: "Rogue builders aren't always easy to spot and are very good at duping homeowners, causing misery by carrying out work to unacceptable standards.

"Residents are urged to be cautious of anyone who turns up on their doorstep offering to do work and to be aware that photos used on websites or social media may not be the trader's own work.

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