Wednesday, 30 June 2010 16:29

Argyll and Bute Council and Strathclyde Police have teamed up in a bid to target the increasing number of rogue traders who descend on the area in the summer months.

Members of the public are urged to contact the council’s trading standards team and the police if they are approached by anyone they suspect is a bogus trader.

So-called ‘distraction burglaries’ and other bogus caller crimes are at their peak during the summer holiday months. Householders may be visited by strangers seeking to carry out work on their property or garden, or claiming to be from the council or a utility company such as a water provider.

These unscrupulous individuals often attempt to cause alarm by telling the householder that work needs to be done urgently. Others may offer to tar the drive or do general gardening work, whilst some may be seeking simply to get inside the house.

Argyll and Bute’s trading standards team has now joined forces with Strathclyde Police in a summer initiative aimed at targeting and monitoring the activities of tradesmen carrying out work on properties in the area.

If any traders are found to be not complying with the law then swift and appropriate action will be taken against them.

The advice from trading standards officers is that if anyone turns up at your door offering to do work, they should provide you with a written notice entitling you to cancel within seven days of agreeing to have the work done.

This is very important, as it means they should not start work for seven days. A trader who does not give you this statutory document is breaking the law and could face a £5,000 fine.

Any individual approached by a stranger offering to do work has the right to refuse to let them into their home or onto their property. Should anyone have any concerns they should call the trading standards team on 01546 604404.

Councillor Daniel Kelly, chair of the council’s Planning, Protective Services and Licensing Committee, said: “The majority of bogus callers pretend to be something they are not and make claims regarding your property which are not true.

“Do not be pressurised at your door or agree to have work done by someone who approaches you off the street, no matter how urgent they say it is. Take the time to get several quotes from local reputable traders.

“A stranger should never be let into your home unless their identity has been properly verified. The best way to do this is to look in the yellow pages for the number of the organisation they claim to be representing. The extra effort is worth it if it means distinguishing bogus callers from reputable traders, and any genuine person will understand the need to do this.

“I would also advise people never to keep large sums of cash in their home, as this is what many of these individuals are looking for.”

Anyone who is approached by someone they suspect of being a rogue trader should call the council’s trading standards team or their local police office.