Builder ordered to pay compensation over poor work

A builder has been ordered to pay £8,000 in compensation to a couple after he took thousands of pounds from them for work he never carried out.

Christopher Frank Parkin, of Hyde Park Road, Knaresborough, who trades as C&D Construction, pleaded guilty to three offences under consumer protection laws at York Magistrates' Court on 7 February.

The court heard a Harrogate couple complained to Trading Standards after they found leaks in new garage Parkin was building and paid him for a driveway which he never started work on.

Councillor Greg White, North Yorkshire Council's executive member for trading standards, said it could be "heart-breaking for householders when work on their home goes wrong".

In addition to the leaks they found in the garage and a small extension, the couple were also asked for a payment of £7,400 for work on a new driveway, which Parkin did not start.

The Trading Standards investigation found numerous deficiencies with work on the extension, including to foundations, insulation and ventilation.

The garage was also found to contravene building regulations, with serious issues found with drainage pipes, the roof structure, external walls, building render and the concrete floor.

Speaking after the court case, White said building regulations were made for "specific reasons, primarily the health and safety, welfare and convenience of people, and for energy conservation".

He said: "In this case, not only were the householders left with work which couldn't be signed off, they had also paid Parkin £7,400 for concrete which was never supplied."

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