Flood victims warned of rogue traders (From Witney Gazette)

Flood victims warned of rogue traders

TRADING standards officials have warned homeowners in flood-hit parts of Oxfordshire to be on their guard against bogus traders and cowboy builders.

The warning follows reports that people affected by flooding in other areas of the UK have been targeted.

There have been no reports of rogue traders operating in Oxfordshire, but trading standards has acted after receiving reports of fraudsters offering a range of work, including construction, tree chopping, garden clearance and roof cleaning.

Nigel Strick, head of Oxfordshire County Council trading standards said: "We are concerned to hear some areas hit by flooding are now being targeted by rogue traders. We will be pro-actively checking work that is being done to repair the flood damage in Oxfordshire and will take a tough stance with any rogue traders we find."

Mr Strick issued the following advice for anyone arranging repair work following the floods:

• Before organising any repairs, contact your insurance company. Some insurance companies arrange approved traders to repair damage on your behalf
• Don't agree anything with cold-calling tradesmen
• Fix a price and ask for a written quotation with the name and address of the builder and a landline contact number
• Use a builder who belongs to a trade association - and check they do
• Consider making staged payments and keeping back a significant part of the cost until the repair job has been satisfactorily completed
• Contact you local council who will keep a list of approved tradesmen
• If you are paying more than £100, pay on a credit card as you might be able to claim money back if the business fails to honour the contract.