Police target rogue traders

3:18pm Thursday 22nd May 2008

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WAR has been declared on cowboy builders and rogue traders in Bury.

Police and trading standards officers joined forces on Tuesday to target criminals preying on older and vulnerable people by providing poor and over-priced building, path surfacing and landscaping work.

Experience shows that these rogue traders, who use illegal immigrants, untrained or unqualified labour to carry out little or shoddy work, are also likely to steal from their victims and be responsible for bogus caller type burglaries.

One of the biggest giveaway signs is that they often drive vans that are untaxed, uninsured and without a valid MOT, and this prompted police officers to enforce a road block on one of Bury's busiest roadways on Tuesday.

Officers used the Automated Number Plate Recognition system to identify vehicles being used illegally along Bolton Road. Work vans and lorries suspected of being used by unqualified traders were also hauled over and the drivers questioned.

Nine cars and vans were seized for having no tax or insurance, a similar number of vehicles were issued with prohibition notices after being declared unroadworthy by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, while eight motorists received three penalty points on their licence and £60 fines after being caught driving while using their mobile phones.

A total of £2,160 worth of outstanding fines, given for a variety of offences including speeding, were recovered including £1,000 owed by just one male motorist.

Another driver was arrested after it was discovered he was wanted in connection with a riot in Droylsden.

Trading Standards officers also roamed the area and questioned 88 tradesmen carrying out repair or maintenance work on local homes. A number of traders were advised on offences including the Trade Descriptions Act, Business Names Act and the Fraud Act.

They identified one property where a rogue builder has been paid in advance for his services but had failed to return. Investigations into the suspect and several other traders are currently ongoing.

A range of departments from the Government and Bury Council were also involved in the operation. They included Environmental Health teams looking at waste carriage, flytipping, vehicle emissions and smoking in vehicles, the Benefits Section, DVLA, VOSA, Court Bailiffs, Department of Works and Pensions, and the Fraud Investigation Service.

Chief Inspector Karan Lee, from Bury Police said: "This operation has been a huge success. This multi-agency action gives a very clear warning that rogue traders are not welcome in the borough. Similar operations will be carried out over the next few months."

Ian O' Donnell, spokesman for Greater Manchester Trading Standards, said: "We urge people not to deal with traders they don't know at the doorstep. If you need work doing, plan it carefully, get three quotes and check out references. Buying on impulse from cold callers could lead to you being targeted by other cold callers who get more and more ruthless in their approach."

Chief Superintendent Steven Hartley from Greater Manchester Police, said: "Rogue traders give honest, professional workers a bad name and are a menace to society. They prey on the vulnerable, especially older people and can systematically rob them of their hard-earned life savings."