A JOINT operation by the authorities saw 41 homes visited across Slough as part of a national crackdown on rogue builders.

A 34-strong team of officers from Slough trading standards, Thames Valley Police, Home Office Immigration Enforcement and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), targeted homes where building work was going on in a bid to weed out any rogue traders operating in the area.

Rogue traders are criminals who take advantage of householders by using high pressure sales techniques. The work is often sub-standard or not required at all.

No rogue traders were found operating in Slough but as a result of the day of action, on May 10, four building firms were warned about not issuing 14-day cancellation notices, which are required by law to give customers a cooling off period before they commit to building work.

And Immigration Enforcement checks found 11 men from India and one from Pakistan had no right to be in the UK. All of the offenders were granted temporary release while their cases are progressed and must report to the Home Office routinely.

A further man was arrested and charged by Thames Valley Police and appeared before Slough Magistrates’ Court on May 12 for possessing a fake identity card.

Additionally, a residential property in which trade waste was being burnt in the garden was also discovered and was reported to the council’s neighbourhood enforcement team for further investigation.

Councillor Arvind Dhaliwal, cabinet member for regulation and consumer protection, said: “Rogue trading often goes far beyond a bit of dodgy dealing – there are organised crime groups who go out touting for work, preying on elderly or vulnerable people and charging extortionate amounts of money for simple home improvements, like laying driveways or roofing repairs.

“Joint operations like this allow us to take a more coordinated approach to disrupting rogue traders, tackling many different issues at once, whether it’s poor workmanship, minor breaches of the law, or organised crime.”

Report rogue traders to Slough trading standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service by calling 03454 040506 or using the incident report form online at www.slough.gov.uk/tradingstandards. If the matter is of an urgent nature Slough trading standards will respond rapidly.