A rogue builder has been jailed for fraud after fleecing an elderly customer with sub-par work.

Alexander Brewis, 42, charged his victim £13,800 to do roofing work and cladding in a bathroom – a service which should have cost around £3,250.

Brewis, who was trading as Storm Roofing and Property Maintenance, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison at Teesside Crown Court on Thursday (March 14).

He had pleaded guilty to two offences of fraud in relation to work carried out at a property in Middlesbrough in 2019 and 2020.

The court heard how Brewis had originally been asked to quote for clearing out the victim’s guttering – with this escalating further.

It also heard work was either left incomplete, or finished to a poor standard, with a high bill left for the victim.

Judith Hedgley, Head of Middlesbrough Council’s Public Protection service, called the crime “despicable.”

She said: “This despicable crime highlights how vulnerable consumers are being targeted by unscrupulous traders.

“Such crimes can have a devasting impact both on the state of the property, requiring immediate remedial action, and on the individuals concerned. This judgement reflects that.

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“We will continue to use all enforcement means necessary to bring people to justice and protect vulnerable consumers.”

Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke, the Council’s Executive Member for Public Protection, said: “This result demonstrates how Middlesbrough Council will always put the safety of vulnerable residents at the forefront of its work and shows that criminal behaviour like this will never be tolerated in our town.

“I commend our dedicated Trading Standards team whose hard work led to this rogue trader being taken off the streets, unable to inflict on others the same torment this victim suffered.”