A COUNCIL is urging residents to be on “alert” for rogue builders after an elderly woman paid £20,000 for botched roof repairs.
One elderly resident, who responded to a flier through the door, paid £20,000 for roof repairs, which failed to stop the roof leaking.
Now Brighton and Hove City Council is warning people about the fraudsters and encouraging residents to deal with reputable builders to ensure they don’t get ripped off.
Nationally, trading standards services estimate that unscrupulous traders have cost homeowners more than £200 million for poor quality or unnecessary building work over the course of the pandemic.
Councillor Lizzie Deane, chairman of the licensing committee, said the city’s trading standards team received “around 40” complaints last year.