A gang of conmen used "scare tactics" to pressure elderly Nottinghamshire residents into paying for overpriced, shoddy roof repair work which was not always needed. The gang of four was investigated by the Nottinghamshire County Council trading standards service, which found they sometimes claimed that if the work was not done then loose material could fall from the victim’s roof and injure or kill someone.
The council said expert evidence concluded that the work carried out on victims’ roofs was poor-quality and superficial, and the repairs completed by the defendants did not address any actual deterioration. The expert also found that some of the work was entirely unnecessary and that where the work was required, the money obtained by the defendants was far in excess of what could be considered reasonable.
The gang, led by brothers Fred Smith, 50, and Henry Smith, 27, both of Corbriggs Caravan Site, Chesterfield, all admitted to targeting customers based on their age or vulnerability. The group, which also included Thomas Maughan, 25, of Raglan Street, Alfreton, and Kevin Stewart, 26, of Elder Avenue, Beith, Ayrshire, also admitted to misleading customers about the extent of work required, deliberately overcharging for work carried out, failing to exercise the standard of skill expected from competent tradesmen and using improper techniques to collect fees that they claimed they were owed.
