Council warns people to watch out for rogue traders
Residents across Dudley borough are urged to be on their guard against rogue traders, after reports of gardeners targeting a home in Quarry Bank.
Dudley Council's trading standards team has warned people never to buy goods or services at the door following the incident, which saw three men in a white flatbed van stating they were there to cut bushes in the back garden due to a complaint from a neighbour.
The three men gave a business leaflet to the homeowner, going by the name of Forever Green Gardening and Landscaping. One of the men is then believed to have entered their home and stole a number of personal belongings and money.
Councillor Nicolas Barlow, Dudley Council's cabinet member responsible for trading standards, said:
Our trading standards team is working with police to find the individuals involved in this appalling theft.
We are doing all we can to highlight these cases to protect other residents and I cannot stress enough how important it is to be vigilant and not buy goods or services over the doorstep.
Reputable workers will not go door to door touting for business and will always give a customer a written quote. They should also outline the customer’s rights of cancellation for any work over the value of £42 before starting the work.
The council produces a directory of reputable traders called Fix-A-Home packed full of services which can be found online at www.dudley.gov.uk/fix-a-home.
Any suspicious callers, going door-to-door, offering to carry out any sort of gardening or property maintenance should be reported to the Bogus Caller Hotline on 01384 812045.