A Bradford roofing firm accused of duping consumers into purchasing expensive building work, has promised to trade fairly.

Trading Standards carried out a probe into the activities of SAS Roofline, based in Alred Court, East Bowling, and its managing director Andrew Roberton, finding what the organisation called a “catalogue of misleading trading practices”.

It found customers had been told about non-existent Government grants which, Mr Roberton implied, they would be able to use to help pay for the work.

One customer had asked another company to carry out roof coating work when Mr Roberton made an unsolicited phone call, a spokesman for Trading Standards said.

He persuaded the customer to allow his firm to do the work, according to Trading Standards, assuring him he would get his deposit back.

This could not be done and the customer paid twice for the same work.

The Trading Standards spokesman also said a salesman sold roof coating work for £1,600 after assuring the homeowner there was a Government grant towards it. This was, according to Trading Standards, “wholly untrue”.

Graham Hebblethwaite, chief officer at the West Yorkshire Trading Standards Service, said: “I would urge consumers to be on their guard against unsolicited calls offering to carry out building work.

“It is clear the unscrupulous trader will say anything to close a sale. Enforcement action can and will be taken against those who engage in unfair commercial practices.”

Mr Roberton claimed the complainants had misunderstood the nature of the grants to which he had referred, saying he meant discounts offered by the company.

He has now signed an assurance under the Enterprise Act 2002 agreeing that neither he, his agents or employees would engage in unfair commercial practices.

  • Read the full story in Thursday's T&A