Blitz on rogue traders announced

As part of an ongoing campaign, officers visited homes and resource centres for elderly people.
West Berkshire Council trading standards officer Caroline Stevenson revealed: “What we found suggests this is a hugely under reported problem. I’ve personally spoken to 120 people so far and, of those, at least 20 had stories to tell of rogue traders but had never reported it.
“Many were too embarrassed and this was the first time they had discussed it.”
The team will be sending out patrols to challenge contractors - a move they say is welcomed by legitimate companies.
But good neighbours have a particular part to play.
Trading standards officer Sean Murphy said: “All of our recent successful prosecutions resulted from people alerting us to something not being right. Time is of the essence and we aim to get there within the hour.
“This helps us collect evidence against the perpetrators which can secure a conviction. We want friends, families and neighbours to look out for those who might be susceptible to to these people. To call them traders at all can be misleading - it’s often pure criminality.”
Typical offences include grossly overcharging for shoddy work and carrying out unnecessary work, with perpetrators sometimes ferrying victims to a cashpoint rather than leave a paper trail - hence, say officers, the need for speedy reporting.
Banks and building societies are also asked to be alert to unusual or unexpected, repeat withdrawals.
Other weapons in the armoury include declaring neighbourhoods ‘cold calling free’ zones - which, if ignored, can trigger an aggressive trading prosecution - and the approved traders’ scheme.
Finally, officers can directly intervene and insist the trader deals with them directly over any bills or debts, rather than the consumer.
To learn more about the above or to report any suspicious trader activity, call trading standards on 01635 519 930.