A conservatory boss who took thousands of pounds in deposits from Bradford householders has been raided by trading standards officers.

Search warrants were executed by North Yorkshire Trading Standards officers at the home of Direct Conservatories UK boss David Richardson in Crambeck village, near Malton.

Mr Richardson's activities were first highlighted by Rights & Wrongs in March after a complaint from a reader, and our inquiries quickly spread to the Sheffield, Hull and Darlington areas.

We told how householders in Bradford said they had paid thousands of pounds in deposits - but the conservatories never materialised and they did not hear from him again after asking for their money back.

North Yorkshire Trading Standards officers are now sifting through documents, computers, software and files they seized at his home.

Spokesman Richard Flinton refused to give any details of the raid or the investigations apart from saying: "We are now investigating possible offences under the Trade Descriptions Act."

Right & Wrongs has a list of 15 people in the Bradford, Hull and Sheffield areas who answered advertisements for conservatories and paid him a total of £18,297 in deposits.

It is understood the list held by North Yorkshire Trading Standards now exceeds 20 names and an amount totalling well in excess of £20,000.

Many of the householders interviewed by Rights & Wrongs said they were given the same start date of January 17, which was then put back to March 27.

They were told the reason for the postponement was that Mr Richardson was moving his manufacturing base from the south of England.

But Rights & Wrongs discovered he was actually using a well-known conservatory manufacturing company in Whitney, Oxfordshire.

Its managing director said Richardson only actually bought one conservatory and he stressed his company had no connection with Direct Conservatories UK.

Mr Richardson employed an accommodation address service in Harrogate which passed on messages to him.

Rights & Wrongs has left numerous messages with that service and on other telephone numbers we have obtained but Mr Richardson has never contacted us.

He was eventually tracked down to his home by a reporter who was told his company had ceased trading.

At the time he said: "It was never the intention of the company not to install conservatories which had been ordered."

Dispute drags on over reader's fitted kitchen

Rights and Wrongs reader Christine Serrant paid £5,500 for a new kitchen for her home in Eccleshill.

But more than five months later she claims it is still unfinished.

Designer Factory Kitchens went to her home and fitted the carcasses on November 22 last year but she noticed the doors, pelmets and cornices were not the correct colour.

"They said as it was getting near Christmas I may as well keep the doors for now and they would sort it out in the first week in January," she said.

"But the doors they brought were badly stained and they have taken them and the originals away.

"I am still waiting for three doors, some drawer fronts and all the pelmets and cornices.

"They keep bringing them in dribs and drabs and they don't match up to each other."

The hospital receptionist said: "I'm fed up to the back teeth - I have never had a fully-fitted kitchen from the day they started.

"They only do something when I phone them, otherwise they wouldn't have contacted me at all.

"They are just taking the mickey because they have got all the money apart from £400 which was payable on completion of the fitting."

Company managing director Michael Baziw said the kitchen would be completed within the next seven to ten days.

He claimed Mrs Serrant had changed her mind about the colour she wanted for the doors and pelmets - an allegation she denied.

He said the company had made new doors and stained them at no extra cost to her and she still did not like the colours.

"I don't know what more we can do," he said. "We are doing all we can to help this customer.

"The problem is the colour she wants is not a standard colour - it is unique.

"We take some doors out and she decides they do not match and wants the colours altering."

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