‘Hero’ plumber’s citizen award is taken back over ‘fake good deeds’
A PLUMBER once dubbed the country’s “kindest” has had his British Citizen Award taken away after it was revealed he allegedly faked stories about helping people while raising millions.
James Anderson, 56, from Burnley, Lancs, won the accolade in 2023 for providing boilers and plumbing services for free through his community-interest company, Depher.
His work is said to have attracted £2million in donations including from stars such as Hugh Grant and Lily Allen along with TV coverage.
But a number of his claims have now been branded untrue. He also allegedly used vulnerable people’s photos without their consent and spent some of the firm’s cash on a house and a car.
The British Citizen Awards said Mr Anderson’s actions did not “align with our values”. It added that it recognised those “who work tirelessly and selflessly to make a positive impact on their communities and charities”.
Watchdog the Fundraising Regulator is also investigating Depher, which stands for Disabled and Elderly, Plumbing and Heating Emergency Response
In a 2022 social media post the company claimed Mr Anderson had prevented one 84-year-old woman in Preston from hanging herself.
He said: “When I got there she had a noose ready to commit suicide. All she wanted was hot water.”
The BBC discovered that the woman called Joyce died in February 2020 and her image had been used on social media seven times between 2021 and 2023 with different ages and locations. Joyce’s daughter, Andrea, has accused Depher of using it as part of a “moneymaking machine”. She said details posted were “a complete lie”.
He fixed her mother’s shower for free but Joyce had enough cash for the repair so the family donated more than £100 to his company, Andrea said.
Depher also posted an image of a woman with a blacked-out face, claiming she had died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Mr Anderson admitted the post was “a lie” and promised to investigate how it was tweeted by the firm.
On GB News he apologised for “any mistakes I’ve made over the past seven years” adding: “I’m only human.”
He said had “done too much too quick on my own” and pledged to refund donated money connected to specific misleading posts or safeguarding issues.