The nightmare began with a leaking roof. Andrea Giles* duly sought out a specialist company to repair it. But in the space of a month, Giles, a full-time carer for her disabled husband and two special needs children, had lost almost £13,000 and part of the roof of her home after falling victim to two sets of cowboy builders.
Her plight highlights the lack of protection for householders who are conned or persuaded into paying rogue builders for botched or unnecessary repairs.
