27 July 2023 , 14:21
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A rogue trader charged a vulnerable customer £4,600 to replace a number of tiles on his roof - when in fact he had just painted over the old ones with orange paint to make them look new.
In January 2022, Peter Billydean Price made written promises to the homeowner - based in mid Ceredigion - to replace all the ridge tiles on the property after an advert was placed online looking for a roofer. However, instead of actually replacing them, Price, aged 25, was captured on CCTV arriving and leaving with paint and painting tools.
It turns out that he, together with two associates, had merely painted the existing tiles orange rather than replacing them. The CCTV revealed that Price, of Broadmoor Nurseries, Kilgetty, and his associates had spent less than three and a half hours at the property in total.
Price spent just three and a half hours at the property painting tiles (Ceredigion County Council)Once they had left, Price ignored telephone calls about the job he’d carried out and the victim was said to have had no option but to seek legal advice. Trading Standards officers from Ceredigion Council’s public protection service obtained evidence from aerial drone footage which enabled a chartered quantity surveyor to conclude that Price was “evidently not a professional, competent and reputable roofer as the quality of the work was unacceptable”.
Price pleaded guilty to two fraud offences while trading as ‘Priced 2 Improve Property and Landscaping Services’ after the case was brought against him by Ceredigion Council, and he was sentenced at Aberystwyth Magistrates Court last week (July 20). In court, Price’s solicitor stated that his client had relied on an ex-employee who had knowledge of roofing to lead on the job as, in the main, Price’s work was primarily in ground work and paving. Price acknowledged the fee was excessive and was said to be remorseful for his actions.
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Magistrates sentenced Price to a 12-month community order comprising of 150 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days. He was also ordered to pay £4,081 in compensation to the victim, £1,000 prosecution costs, and a £95 court surcharge.
Councillor Matthew Vaux, Ceredigion Council’s cabinet member for public protection, said: “At a time when a lot of households are struggling financially, this case shows the valuable work undertaken by the council's public protection service to protect individuals in our community against rogue traders, and in turn, bringing justice for those affected by these heartless criminals."