A builder whose work failed building regulations has been ordered to pay £8,000 in compensation after an investigation by North Yorkshire Council’s trading standards team.
Christopher Frank Parkin, from Hyde Park Road, Knaresborough, who trades as C&D Construction, also took thousands of pounds for jobs he never carried out.
He appeared at York Magistrates’ Court today (Friday, February 7) where he pleaded guilty to three offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.
Trading standards officers began an investigation into Parkin after receiving a complaint from a Harrogate couple who had employed him to complete renovations at their home.
Parkin had replaced the kitchen at the property and as the householders were happy with the work, they asked him to convert the existing garage into a room and build a detached garage and small extension, as well as replacing the driveway and laying concrete by the new garage.
As work progressed, the householder found damp and leaks in both the conversion and the new garage. Around the same time, Parkin asked for payment in advance of £7,400 for the concrete for the driveway to avoid future price increases. Despite the advance payment being made, Parkin never started the job.
After Building Control officials found deficiencies in the work, trading standards officers arranged for a surveyor to inspect the property.
He found that the foundations, thermal insulation, ventilation, and distance from a boiler flue pipe of the extension did not meet building regulations.
The garage was also found to contravene regulations, with issues found with the drainage pipes, the falls of the roof structure and drains, the vertical alignment of external walls, the roof coating, the building render, the strength and bond of the concrete floor and the drains connections.
After Parkin pleaded guilty to the offences at today’s hearing, magistrates ordered him to pay £8,000 compensation to the consumers. He was given no separate fine or costs to ensure the consumers receive the compensation owed to them.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for trading standards, Cllr Greg White, said:
Building regulations are made for specific reasons, primarily the health and safety, welfare and convenience of people, and for energy conservation.
If the work cannot be signed off, not only might it be unsafe, but it can be difficult to sell the house in the future and it can leave the householder open to enforcement action.
In this case, not only were the householders left with work which couldn’t be signed off, they had also paid Parkin £7,400 for concrete which was never supplied.
It can be heartbreaking for householders when work on their home goes wrong and I am pleased that the magistrates focused the penalty given to Parkin on compensating the consumers.
Anybody looking for a tradesperson is encouraged to take recommendations from friends or family and source at least three quotes beforehand.
Residents can report rogue traders or get advice from the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133. More information can be found on the council’s website at www.northyorks.gov.uk/trading-standards
The Government-endorsed scheme Trustmark can be found at www.trustmark.org.uk
