Residents urged to report rogue driveway cleaners

ROGUE TRADERS have been “intimidating” borough residents into paying more than £1,000 after cleaning roofs and driveways.

Borough resident Charles Chang told Wokingham.Today his 83-year-old elderly mother was approached by a group who were working on the roofs of neighbouring homes.

He said the first neighbour was approached by the group, despite living in a no cold-calling zone.

He said they cleaned a “test patch” on the front of the house without the owner’s consent. After seeing the work, the neighbour allowed the traders to continue.

Mr Chang said this persuaded other neighbours to allow the group to work on their property.

He said his mother allowed the traders to work on her roof, after which they attempted to charge more than £1,000 for three hours labour, to be paid in cash.

Ahead of the money collection, Mr Chang called Mike Allpress, of Trident Power Cleaning, for a second opinion about the work.

“I found Mike through Check A Trade, and he was shocked by their approach,” Mr Chang said.

Mr Allpress told Wokingham.Today: “The quality was appalling and they didn't re-sand the drive. “Costs should have been half that and the work would have taken an entire day plus a second two-hour visit to apply sand on the drive.

“I offered advice as best I could but in the end they were all very scared and parted with the money.”

Mr Chang said he managed to negotiate a lesser fee, but still paid over the odds.

“You felt as though if you didn’t agree, something might happen later,” he said.

Mr Allpress called the incident “abhorrent” and an “expensive waste of time”.

“In a time of isolation generally, it makes people feel further isolated and vulnerable,” he said. “It's a despicable thing to do to older people.”

Mr Allpress said he was so frustrated by the incident, he sent his own team to sand the driveway and check the gutter for free.

“I’ve lived in Wokingham all my life, I love the place and I wanted to reassure these people that it’s a great, safe place to live and we are the kind of community that rallies around and looks after each other,” he said.

“I take it personally when someone drops a crisp packet in Broad Street, let alone intimidates and scams an 83-yearold lady.”

Mr Allpress said it took some time to convince the family to take up his offer.

“I think their confidence in human nature has taken a significant dent,” he added.

And this wasn’t the only incident he knows about.

“I did a drive survey in Twyford last week, and he’d been visited by them too,” Mr Allpress said. “He had the ‘test patch’ to prove it.”

A spokesperson for the Public Protection Partnership, which oversees Wokingham, Bracknell Forest and West Berkshire, said they had not received any complaints about the incidents, and urged residents to come forward.

“Our Fraud Victim Support Officer can also provide support, and possible security equipment, to the affected residents post incident if the matter is reported to us,” they said.

The PPP advised residents that think they are at risk, not to open the door to cold callers, and report a live incident to them, so they can attend the scene.

They added: “Report the matter to Thames Valley Police on 999 if the householder is in imminent danger or being threatened or coerced into handing over money.”

Other advice included getting three quotes from reputable companies before agreeing to work, and searching for traders through the Buy With Confidence scheme.

The organisation also suggested setting up a no cold calling zone through them. Once established, the incidents can also be reported to citizens advice.