Customers of roofer in Blackhall and Coulby Newham left out of pocket

Men working with Christopher Wase also caused a fire in a bay window of the house to add to the woes of the homeowners.

Wase appeared at Durham Crown Court for sentence having admitted two charges brought under consumer protection unfair trading regulations at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court, last month.

Philip Morley, prosecuting, said the defendant was trading under the name CW Roofing Services, registered in Billingham, during the relevant period, between February and July 2022.

Mr Morley told the court a couple were approached by a man introducing himself as ‘Chris’, who said he was working in the area and offered to repair a missing roof tile at their home in Coulby Newham.

(Image: Durham County Council) He gave them a quote of £1,000 to repair the tile and they paid a deposit for that amount, but they were told a further £1,200 payment would be required for additional work materials, which was paid by bank transfer, in February 2022.

Wase was due to start the work on March 7, but he never came and after many attempts to contact him, he responded in May that year, saying he had been on holiday.

Mr Morley said by then the customers were seeking a refund for £2,200, but Wase claimed £1,000 of it was not a deposit, but a payment.

No refund was made at the time and is still to be made, despite a county court judgement having been made against him in the intervening period for a total figure of £2,406, which included costs and interest.

Mr Morley said the second complainants were a couple in Blackhall Colliery who were approached by a male who left a business card in the name of CW Roofing Services.

The next day Wase attended at their home and discussed what roofing work was required, quoting them £3,800, for which a £500 deposit made.

Mr Morley said Wase and four males attended to carry out the work, but the couple were told further money was needed immediately and £3,485 was paid.

The defendant left in a vehicle and did not return but three other men remained at the house.

They performed what was described as “haphazard” work, setting fire to the bay window at one stage, before leaving midway through the job.

Mr Morley said when contacted, the defendant claimed they left because of an “emergency job” which had cropped up.

Continued requests for a refund were ignored and the job was left uncompleted.

Following an inspection, a surveyor concluded what work that had been carried out was performed by “unprofessional” people and none was completed to a satisfactory standard.

(Image: Durham County Council) Victim statements were read to the court by Mr Morley who outlined the financial impact for both couples and the stress and anxiety caused as a result of their dealings with the defendant and his “false promises”.

Both felt taken in by Wase and it has affected their trust in trades’ people in general.

Mr Morley said Wase was interviewed by the county council’s trading standards investigators in March 2023 and confirmed he was the owner of the business.

He accepted having had dealings with both couples, who he said he wished to reimburse, but no payments have been made.

The court heard the 38-year-old defendant, now of Castle Gardens, Paisley, in Scotland, has three previous convictions for nine unrelated offences, mainly said to be motoring matters.

(Image: Durham County Council) Joel Wootten, for the defendant, said he pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and is remorseful.

“No-one can take away from the fact these people have paid for work which has not been done and they have been left out of pocket.

“The defendant no longer works in roofing and hasn’t for close to a year.

“He has no intention of partaking in that again and so is considered to represent a low risk of reoffending by the Probation Service.”

Mr Wootten said the defendant plans to work with his partner in recruitment in Scotland and is due to start in the New Year.

“He has not troubled the court since 2011 and has never done so for offences of this nature.

“So, the Probation Service conclude he is unlikely to reoffend in future.”

Mr Wootten said the defendant should be in a position to pay compensation once he starts his new job in the New Year.

He said the defendant did try to contact the victim from Blackhall to do the work, but added that, “communication broke down and they did not want him to come back and do any work.”

Judge Nathan Adams said: “It’s not surprising since his workmen set fire to his home.”

(Image: Durham County Council) Addressing the defendant, Judge Adams said he took relatively large sums from the two homeowners and yet no work of a substantial standard was completed, and in one case none at all, and he left both thousands of pounds out of pocket.

He told Wase: “The second time, your team set fire to the roof.

“Your response was to give other jobs priority.”

The judge said the defendant blamed his workmen when overall it was his responsibility, and in both cases, it had a “profound effect” on the victims who handed over the funds.

He ordered the defendant to complete 240-hours’ unpaid work, or community payback, and to pay one of the couple’s £3,580 compensation over the course of the next 12 months.

The judge said the previous court order remains in place for the sum of £2,406 owed to the other family.

Speaking after the hearing, Gary Carr, Durham County Council’s strategic regulation manager, said: “Rogue trading causes significant stress and disruption to residents who, in good faith, have trusted someone to come into their home and carry out work.

“Mr Wase broke this trust with two families and, as a result, faced serious legal consequences.

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“We take reports of rogue trading very seriously and will investigate criminal allegations where it is suspected a trader has broken the law.

“We always recommend that people use an approved trader site when sourcing a tradesperson to carry out work on their property or garden.”

Mr Carr added: “If anyone has concerns about the legitimacy of a tradesperson or rogue trader activity, we would encourage them to report it to our Community Protection Service’s Trading Standards officers or the Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.”