A landscaper from Winnersh has been convicted at Reading Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to two offences contrary to the 2008 Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations.
Ryan Campion, 26, of Rainbow Park was investigated by the Public Protection Partnership (PPP) following a complaint about him to trading standards.
At his hearing, on 29 June, the court heard how Campion, trading as Landscape Creations, agreed in November 2016 to provide a raised flower bed behind a design and technology building at a Wokingham school. He received a £1,360 deposit for this, but neither started the work or repaid the money.
The court then heard that Campion agreed, again in November 2016, to renew a drive with Tarmac and lay a side path at a Wokingham property. He received a £1,100 deposit, and started to remove the drive. But after only one day’s work, he disappeared leaving the drive’s rubble in the rear garden.
Campion was fined £500 for each offence; a total of £1,000. He was also ordered to repay by way of compensation the deposits he had received, totalling £2,460. He was also ordered to pay a £1,182.70 contribution towards prosecution costs, and a £50 victim surcharge.
“This is an all too familiar story. A trader not doing the work at all, or only partially doing it,” said Cllr Iain McCracken, chairman of the Joint Public Protection Committee. “The Partnership will always investigate matters of this nature and where appropriate legal action will follow. This kind of offending that leaves people with damaged property or out of pocket is completely unacceptable.”
The PPP is a shared service between Bracknell Forest Council, West Berkshire Council and Wokingham Borough Council and covers trading standards, environmental health and licensing. If you are concerned about any trading standards, public protection or licensing matter contact the service on (01635) 519 930 or email: tsadvice@westberks.gov.uk
