A ROGUE trader has been given a six-month suspended prison sentence and fined over £5,000 for doing incomplete and unsafe building work which cost his customers thousands of pounds.
Warwickshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service has taken court action against builder Steven Dickson, previously of Henley Crescent in Solihull, after he breached an Enforcement Order designed to protect consumers.
Sentencing Dickson, District Judge Bowen said the defendant had ‘flagrantly and deliberately breached’ the Enforcement Order and caused consumers ‘significant stress and anxiety over a prolonged period of time’.
Dickson, 45, first came to the attention of Warwickshire Trading Standards following complaints from Warwickshire residents about thousands of pounds spent on incomplete work and roofs that leaked, when he was offering roofing and guttering work under the name Adam Askey of One Temple Row, Birmingham.
The complaints led Trading Standards to seek an Enforcement Order against Mr Dickson and his company.
But before the Order was issued, Dickson – this time trading under the name DPD Design and Build in Henley Crescent, Solihull – built an extension at a home in Rugby directly onto a tarmac driveway without any foundations. He advised the resident that the extension would not require any planning permission, which was not the case.
Despite promising to put right his mistakes, Dickson failed to do so, leaving the resident to pay thousands of pounds to another builder to ensure the building was safe and met building regulations.
Dickson breached the order once again – trading under the name Henley Build in Henley Crescent, Solihull – when he built a substandard garden office and gym at a home in Birmingham which the resident had to pay to fix.
The Enforcement Order prohibited Dickson from engaging in practices harmful to consumers including causing unnecessary damage to a consumer’s home, failing to perform services with reasonable care and skill, and using false advertising statements.
At Coventry County Court on October 2, Dickson was found in contempt of court. District Judge Bowen handed the defendant a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of over £5,250. Mr Dickson was not in court to hear the sentencing.
Coun Andy Crump, Warwickshire County Council’s spokesman for community safety, said: “Homeowners invest their hard-earned savings or secure loans to improve their properties and when this goes wrong, it not only places a financial burden on consumers but also inflicts significant stress and anxiety.
“This case serves as a reminder to dishonest traders who mistakenly believe they can evade enforcement action after receiving a prior caution or conviction.
“Warwickshire Trading standards will continue to seek to protect those in our communities by raising awareness of rogue traders and investigating and prosecuting perpetrators.”
To make a complaint about a business to Trading Standards, or to seek consumer help and advice, contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service at https://tinyurl.com/bdf5rzpj or on 0808 223 1133.
