Trading Standards has become aware of a trader cold calling offering to drop kerbs on the highway for householders. This trader is not accredited by the Council to do this work although he did produce some form of ID and gave the impression that he was approved. A complaint was recently investigated where a householder had paid £150 to have the kerb outside his driveway dropped. The work has been completed but unfortunately the standard of work is poor and presents a hazard to pedestrians. Because of this the Council is obliged to return it to it’s original condition.

If you want your kerb dropped or any advice, check with the Council s highways section on 01925 442512. Traders must have streetworks accreditation and householders need to be clear that kerbs are part of the highway, not part of their property.

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On Friday 6th February loan shark Paul Nicholson was found guilty of 20 offences at Warrington Crown Court, including blackmail, assault and rape. All these offences were committed in connection with his illegal money lending business and were committed in order to secure payment from his customers, some of the most vulnerable members of the local community.

This conviction has been achieved by a specialist Trading Standards Loan Shark team operating in the North West whose work is solely directed at catching criminals like Paul Nicholson and sending them to jail. Nicholson was caught because people in the communities where he operated came forward with information.

This team can only succeed in bringing criminals like this to justice with evidence and information. If you have any knowledge or information concerning illegal money lending in your community, you can provide it in absolute confidence to the team.

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Trading Standards have recently received a number of complaints regarding work carried out on their home, where customers are being asked to pay unusually high deposits, or even the full purchase price, before work has even started.  Typically this has happened with replacement kitchens, windows or conservatories.

Advice from Trading Standards is to clarify when traders expect to be paid and the method of payment before choosing a tradesman. Avoid paying a large deposit or the total amount up front. There have been cases where the trader has been paid and done little or no work or gone bust.

Trading Standards would always advise consumers to obtain at least three quotes before instructing a trader to carry out work. Talk to family and friends who have recently had work carried out to a good standard as recommendations are generally a good indicator.

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We have been alerted to a telephone scam that appears to be in operation. 

A lady received a telephone call from a male claiming to be from British Telecom.  The man explained to the lady that she was 15 pounds in arrears on her BT bill and could rectify by making a payment over the telephone using a debit card. 

Unfortunately the lady gave her account details and after telling a member of her family, it was later discovered that up to 160 pounds had been removed from her account.  The bank was notified of the activity and confirmed that they had recently received similar reports and are investigating.

Residents are urged not to disclose bank details to anyone who telephones and asks for them, even if they claim to be calling from your bank or a service provider. Genuine companies will never cold call and request bank account information from you.  Please let your bank know if you have been contacted in this way.

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Residents across Warrington and Halton are advised to be on their guard following an incident yesterday in the Irwell Road/Gainsborough Road area of Warrington, WA4 postcode.

An elderly resident was approached by a man in a transit van who was reported touring the area offering roofing repairs. The resident was told by the trader that he would return later to carry out the work and that it wouldn’t cost him very much.

When the trader returned the resident declined to have the work carried out but was told that it had actually been done and there was a cost of £400. The resident told the trader that no work had been carried out whilst he was in the house and that he would call the Police to report the incident.  The trader drove off.

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