A rogue trader who charged for work which was not carried out has been ordered to pay out more than £2,700 after an investigation by Warrington Borough council’s Trading Standards team.
Mark Marsden, aged 30 of Whimbrel Avenue, Newton le Willows, appeared at Warrington Magistrates Court on June 7 facing charges under the Fraud Act.
In September 2015 a resident from Westbrook had contacted him after looking online for a business to carry out home improvements.
Marsden priced the job and collected a total of £1,300 during two visits to the property. The only paperwork he gave was on scraps of paper provided by the householder when they requested receipts.
No work was carried out and Marsden proved to be difficult to contact and failed to carry out any work.
Marsden pleaded guilty to an offence of dishonestly making a false representation with the intention of making a gain for himself or causing loss to another and was fined £200 and ordered to pay compensation of £1,300. He also pleaded guilty to failing to disclose to the householder that she had a right to cancel the contract and was fined £200 for this offence.
Costs of £1,000 were awarded against him along with a victim surcharge of £40.
Marsden had failed to attend interview with officers from Trading Standards and when he failed to attend court on the first occasion a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Cllr Judith Guthrie, executive board member for public protection, said: “Thanks to the great work of our Trading Standards team this man has been taken to court and will be paying the penalty for his actions. Our officers work hard to protect the public from falling victim to unscrupulous traders and these criminal actions will not be tolerated. Their actions can cause great stress and upset not to mention the financial loss.”
For advice or to report a matter contact Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0345 4040506 or visit https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer
