Neighbours spend £15,000 on cowboy builders who 'butchered' homes then vanished

A married couple and their neighbour claim to have wasted £15,000 between them on unfinished work that they fear will never be completed after the builders 'vanished'.

Alan and Susan Matthewman, along with neighbour Tommy Wilson, had organised for work to be done on their properties in Netherton Road, Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, Scotland.

But Mrs Matthewman said work had been started but not completed, while Tommy Wilson says his home has been left in a “complete mess” after the work started on 24 June.

The work was carried out by a team claiming to be from Forsyth Roofing and Roughcasting Ltd – but details from Companies House reveal that company was dissolved in August 2021.

Mr Wilson said: “This has been the worst experience of my life. The amount of stress has been unbelievable.

“I haven’t seen or heard from any of the workers over the last few months.

“I have been left with scaffolding on the outside of my house and the front and back door is just a complete mess.”

Mr Wilson paid £9,000 for his garden to be worked on, while he spent £5,000 on new windows, which he says have been “butchered”.

Mrs Matthewman and her husband paid a £1,000 deposit to the company for work to be done on their property but the work has not been finished.

She said: “The whole place is a mess and I don’t want other people having to go through this situation.

“We should never have given them a deposit which was £1,000. I gave them a second payment on 7 July and they haven’t been back since except two weeks later to ask for their ladders back.

“Anytime you call the number there is no answer.”

Trading Standards and the police are now investigating and are meeting with residents this week.

A Trading Standards spokesperson said: “If you are planning to have work done to your home, ask for recommendations from family or friends. If this isn’t possible, shop around for a number of quotes and ask for examples of similar work the company has done recently.

“Make sure you get contact details for their customers and check if they were happy with the work done; don’t rely on written recommendations. Be wary if the company only provides a mobile number; always get full contact details and check the business does exist at the address.

“You should not feel pressurised into agreeing to immediate work. Do not pay cash up front or offer to go and get money and never agree to pay for goods or give money to strangers who arrive at your door.”