Wiltshire Roofing: Seend men sentenced after Westbury scam

27-year-old Arthur Dolan and 24-year-old Isaac Follows, both from Seend in Wiltshire, had been trading under the name Wiltshire Roofing until a Trading Standards investigation discovered the pair had no experience in roofing whatsoever.

The men, who are brothers-in-law, had been contacted in February 2023 by a man asking for a quote for a full roof replacement at his property in Westbury.

Dolan and Follows gave him a verbal quote of £6,800 and agreed that work would start three days later.

But once the deposit payment had been made and roof tiles removed, the victim was informed of additional work needed costing a further £2,800.

On the third day, the traders claimed they had identified urgent work for £3,000 which needed doing at the neighbouring property, which the victim also agreed to pay.

In total, the victim paid £11,800 for the roofing work which was being carried out by scammers.

The work carried out by the roofers was described as 'appalling' (Image: Wiltshire Council) When interviewed by the police, Follows claimed it was the first time he had carried out roofing work and had no qualifications in the subject, whilst Mr Dolan stated he had “zero experience” of roofing and had never done one before.

Both men claimed to be working for one another, with neither one taking responsibility.

Appearing in Swindon Crown Court on Tuesday, May 20, both men plead guilty and the pair have now been ordered to pay £5,000 in compensation for fraudulently carrying out poor roofing repairs for an overly inflated price.

Dolan must also complete 250 hours of unpaid work, and Mr Follows must complete 300 hours.

During the investigation, the work was examined by a chartered surveyor, who described the work as “patently quite abysmal and of little or no pecuniary value.” 

“The overall standard of workmanship is quite appalling," he said.

The brothers-in-law were sentenced at Swindon Crown Court (Image: Newsquest) In a victim statement read out in court, the victim (who has not been named) added: "I felt that the home I loved had been destroyed.

"They talked me into having the adjoining neighbour’s roof done also, which I paid for. 

"I was rushed into this decision and felt pressured to call up the neighbour on the spot to ask for his permission for them to be able to continue the work on his side of the roof. 

"This has caused friction with the neighbour because of the terrible state of the roof after they carried out the work.”

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Speaking after the sentencing, Councillor Paul Sample, Cabinet Member for Environment, Climate and Waste, said: “I was appalled to hear about the impact of this crime on its victims.

“Rogue builders are very good at duping homeowners and carrying out work to unacceptable standards. They cause misery and often further costs to correct the work.

“I would urge anyone considering having work undertaken on their house, to carry out as much research as possible and to obtain more than one quote before agreeing to a trader doing any work. 

“Always ask for written quotes and ensure you are provided with full details in writing including the trader’s name, address and the total price before any work takes place. Seeking independent references for the business can also help to allay any concerns.

“Wiltshire is full of honest hard-working traders but they are being let down by some people looking to take advantage. Trusted traders can be found by using an approval scheme such as Buy With Confidence.”