'Cowboy told me I needed to pay £2.5k or my roof would cave in - then gave me £15 as he didn't want to leave me skint'

A vile cowboy builder who told a pensioner her roof could collapse at any minute gave her £15 back as he didn't want to 'leave her penniless'.

Lynn Hall was initially told the work on her Wesham home would cost no more than £100. She had been experiencing a small leak, and was delighted when Stewart Langton said he could easily fix it.

But after heading up to the roof, his deception began. He told the 82-year-old the property could 'collapse' at any minute and it would cost an initial £2,500 to fix.

She rushed around her home, grabbing every penny she could so Langton could buy materials.

Before leaving, the cowboy returned a tiny fraction of her cash, and presented it as a kindhearted gesture.

READ MORE

• Couples shelled out £1,000s for wedding photographer - then he went AWOL money and memories

• Meet the UK's youngest DJ who's just made his festival debut aged TEN

Lynn had noticed a leak in her back bedroom and set about finding a tradesman to repair it. But after checking websites and calling a number of tradesmen locally, she was unable to find someone able to carry out the work.

Then, in October 2022, Stewart Langton knocked on her door.

"I'd been calling everyone and leaving messages but couldn't find anyone to fix it", she said. "Then just as it was going dark, this man came and said he was a roofer. I was so pleased."

Mrs Hall showed Langton round to the back of her house and was delighted when he said he could fix the leak. "He said it will be £30 - or might even be £100, as though that was the most it could possibly be. He said he would be back tomorrow."

The following day, again as it was going dark, Langton returned to the house in Princess Avenue, with another man. The pair put ladders up to the back of the house, saying they were looking for the leak.

"He said, 'it will all need doing - the batons are rotted, and he threw a piece of damp wood down to the ground."

Langton said the state the roof was in was dangerous and it could collapse at any point overnight. He asked Mrs Hall to make a bank transfer for £2,500 to secure her home.

"I am not too savvy at things like internet banking", Mrs Hall said. "It seemed a lot he was asking for a quarter of the roof. As they were looking they were picking the tiles up off the roof, saying they were crumbling. There was a lad on the roof, nowhere near where the leak was, and Langton just kept going on about this bank transfer.

"It was bad weather and I was really worried about the roof coming in. I gathered up all the cash I had in the house, which was £495, which I gave him to buy materials. He even gave me £15 back saying he didn't want to leave me penniless.

"I expected him to get in the van and go and get materials but he wasn't going anywhere. He just said the roof was crumbling and it would cost £7,500 to replace one half. To do the whole thing, which is what I would have wanted, would have been £15,000.

"In my mind, I was thinking 'give him the money quick and get it done'. I was panicking. He kept going on and on about this bank transfer. In the end, I said, 'leave it with me and I'll do it tomorrow.'"

The following day Mrs Hall left the house on her mobility scooter to go to a local club. When she arrived, she spoke to a friend who put her in touch with a reputable builder.

When the builder checked Mrs Hall's roof, he said there were two tiles which needed replacing, and he replaced the ridge tiles. "He showed me there was nothing wrong with it", she said.

"I was very lucky that I spoke to the man at the club. He had recently had his roof done, on a four bedroom house, with two skylights, and he had paid £4,000 so I knew I was being conned."

Sadly, Mrs Hall was not the only victim of Stewart Langton. Between 2022 and 2024, Langton conned 10 homeowners out of more than £200,000 for work that did not need to be done, or was done to a poor standard.

Trading Standards launched an investigation after receiving a number of complaints that customers had been quoted low rates for work, only for prices to be ramped up once the job had started. Work was left unfinished and customers were told workers would walk off the job if large amounts of money were not paid immediately.

Langton, of Whalley Lane, Blackpool, has been jailed for four years and three months after he pleaded guilty to carrying out a fraudulent business. He has also been handed a 10 year criminal behaviour order, banning him from working on people's homes.

Mrs Hall said: "I felt really, really stupid when it happened. I watch these programs on TV and you see these cowboys that knock on your door and say there are squirrels in the roof. But I had a leak and I had been looking for someone to fix it. It seemed like a stroke of luck.

"The whole thing has made me feel old and vulnerable. I feel like my family must be thinking I am losing the plot and going senile. I was awake all night, worrying about the roof falling in.

"It has put me on my guard. I used to worry about being rude but now I won't hesitate to put the phone down if someone is trying to sell me something. It's no good being all british and polite. this has made me feel my age."