Checkatrade News - September 2011
Builders want VAT reduced
THE government should reduce VAT to 5 per cent for enegry- saving measures installed in homes and businesses under its flagship "green deal" scheme, it has been urged.
More than..
Loan funding for Scottish housing construction jobs
The Scottish government has announced plans to allocate loan finance to help kick start stalled housing developments, which could support construction jobs across the country.
Housing companies that are unable to ...
Family 'disappointed' by electrocuted plumber inquest
The family of a plumber who was electrocuted while working at a flat in Bristol, have criticised the verdict at his inquest.
Danny Edwards was killed in 2008 while working at a flat in Clifton when he touched a badly wired washing machine.
A jury returned ...
Rogue plumber charges £14,400 to unblock drain
The UK is cracking down on rogue traders who are taking advantage of vulnerable people by coercing them into paying a grossly inflated bill.
For a number of years the elderly and the vulnerable have been targeted by tradesmen ...
Jills of all trades wanted
Girl power could be a key to speeding up the rebuilding of Christchurch.
With demand soaring for skilled tradespeople to help with the rebuilding, women are being encouraged to look beyond their traditional careers and consider joining the trades.
Only around 1% of builders ...
Many fall victim to cowboy builders
A worrying number of householders have fallen into the trap of dodgy traders, research reveals.
According to a survey commissioned by Sainsbury's Home Insurance, botch jobs ...
Insulate your home , owners urged
Handymen and tradesmen could find a boost in insulation installation work following a recommendation by the National Home Improvement Council (NHIC).
Homeowners have been....
Tradesmen to the rescue at local playgroup
A playgroup in Bicester that was facing closure has been rescued after a tradesman, a qualified plumber and others stepped in to help.
Rainbow Playgroup had been given a list of ...
Tradesman fined for shoddy work
A kitchen and bathroom fitter has been prosecuted for shoddy work.
Colin Jones of Newton-le-Willows, admitted an offence under the Companies Act when he appeared ...
Pensioners home ripped up by rogues
A new warning over rogue traders has been issued after cowboy builders ripped up a pensioner's home.
Colin Welch, of Hillingdon in Uxbridge, was approached by three men claiming to be from a building company that had taken over the business that...
Rogue builder ordered to pay £225,000
A cowboy builder has been ordered to pay nearly a quarter of a million pounds back to the pensioners he conned.
Moses Mead, of Northfleet in Kent, reportedly conned around £800,000 from pensioners in London, Hampshire, Cambridgeshire, Kent...
Positive times ahead for home market
By 2013, the home and garden market will have fully recovered from the recession, according to research from Mintel.
This may mean that professionals from builders to gardeners experience a rise in business, sparking a positive turn of...
HSE campaign aims to fill in knowledge gaps
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a new campaign targeting joiners, plumbers and electricians who are not aware of how to deal with asbestos.
Karen Clayton, a representative from the industry body, described how the key is to...
Business information portal for builders launched
DIY chain Wickes has launched a new website to assist builders with the business-side of running their own company.
Noting that builders want to go into the trader to work with their hands - as opposed to sit indoors filling out forms all day -...
Roofing brothers convicted over shoddy work
A pair of roofers who charged elderly and vulnerable pensioners in Bournemouth for unnecessary work have been convicted, reports pooleecho.co.uk.
Brothers Danny and Kevin Sherwood, who traded as Royal Roofing, both ripped off vulnerable...
Lifeline offered for teen rioters
A property entrepreneur is giving youths involved in the London riots the chance to turn their lives around through her DIY training academy.
Croydon business-woman Sylvia Marshall has compared her inception, the Surrey DIY Academy, to a Jamie...
North Yorkshire gardener awarded
A gardener from West Yorkshire has earned himself a desirable reputation with his award-winning work.
George Collins, from Brighouse, has been winning awards for his gardening skills for years and as a result, judges for the annual Brighouse in...
Brits spend £3.7bn rectifying cowboy traders' botched jobs
6.2 million Britons have "fallen foul of cowboy traders" in the last five years, according to new research.
What's more, those unlucky homeowners have spent £3.7 billion on repairing damage and botched jobs caused by unqualified...
Hampshire builder fined for shoddy loft conversion
A Hampshire builder has been fined over £10,000 for illegally building a loft conversion.
David Cross, of West Moors in Ferndown, was undertaking work at a house in Ringwood but failed to submit a building regulation application for the work...
