The partners, who ran AS Contractors of Oxford, were found guilty by the court in December last year following an investigation by Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service.

Trevor Bateman, aged 54 and from Swindon, was sentenced to four years for ten frauds, seven counts of unfair trading and six charges of money laundering.

David Merriman, aged 49 and from Nottinghamshire, received a three and a half year prison sentence for six frauds, six counts of unfair trading and six of money laundering.

The pair were found guilty for not finishing work which had been paid for and failing to complete work to a satisfactory standard at ten houses across Oxfordshire and two in West Berkshire.

Overcharging victims

During the four week trial last year, the court heard how the pair took £47,000 from an 80-year-old woman for work that a surveyor valued at £8,320. This work included a new bathroom, conservatory and solar panels.

Neither the conservatory nor the solar heating were completed and the victim had to pay a further £5,500 to another company to get the conservatory finished.

In another incident, they charged their victim £16,000 to replace the roof on her house. When the work was completed, she was surprised that lead work which she thought was included in the original quote, had not been done. She was told she had to pay a further £5,500 for this work to be finished.

She paid this additional sum and the court found that the defendants knew that she had paid twice for the work.

Unfinished work

Jane Thomas from Wallingford was one of the victims. She said: “I called AS Contractors to lay a brick path in my garden and a whole group of men turned up, it was very confusing. The path cost an arm and a leg and when they had finished it, it looked lovely but now it is really overgrown with moss.

“While they were carrying out the work, I asked them to give me a quote to fit a new bathroom. They didn’t put the hand basin in properly and when my cat jumped in it, it fell over and chipped the bath. I came home one day and the toilet had been left in the middle of the kitchen floor. I called them back and they eventually plumbed it back in.

“The work for the path and the bathroom came to just under £7,000. At this point I went to Oxfordshire Trading Standards and they told me not to hand over any more money. When AS Contractors asked for more, I refused to pay them and they all just left.

“The bathroom was working, but it was unfinished and wasn’t in very good condition. All the piping needed to be boxed in, the tiling needed finishing, the grouting wasn’t done properly; it was a shambles really. I paid someone else to fix the work and I can’t remember what he charged me, but it wasn’t anything like £7,000 and he did a good job on it too.”

Clear message

Martin Woodley, Oxfordshire County Council’s Doorstep Crime Team Leader, said: “This has been a very long and complex investigation. It has been demanding not only for the officers involved but also for the victims. This outcome has been the result of a multi-agency approach involving Oxfordshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service, West Berkshire District Council, Thames Valley Police and Wiltshire Police. I would like to thank them all for their hard work in achieving this result.

“I hope this sends a clear message that we will take action against any perpetrator who think they can take advantage of the elderly and vulnerable. It is also important to make them aware that officers from this service are prepared to execute warrants outside the county in pursuit of these people.

“I would like to also thank all the witnesses and victims for their help and cooperation in this case, and I hope they can now finally put this behind them.”

Former footballer cleared

During the case, the third defendant - former Swindon Town footballer Phil King aged 44, was cleared of all charges of laundering money through his pub, The Dolphin in Swindon, where the traders cashed their cheques.

Councillor Judith Heathcoat, Cabinet Member for Safer and Stronger Communities, said: “This is yet another successful result for Oxfordshire Trading Standards, and it sends a clear message to those carrying out these despicable acts, that it will not be tolerated. The team at Trading Standards have worked exceptionally hard on this case and continue to protect people living in the county.

“If you are ever unsure about a trader, or you need some advice, please contract Trading Standards on 0845 051 0845 or email trading.standards@oxfordshire.gov.uk or visit our website.”