Rogue builder fleeced customers for thousands, leaving piles of rubble and unfinished work

A rogue builder who pocketed thousands of pounds from customers in return for shoddy, unfinished construction work has been jailed.

Leon Pate fleeced six homeowners while trading under various names, including Driveway Designs and Landscapes, and Build Landscapes. He promised to repair their homes or landscape their gardens across Lancashire, but instead left them with piles of rubble and huge repair bills.

Pate, who has had addresses in Colne and the Burnley and Padiham areas of Lancashire, initially appeared at court in June and was given six months by a judge to pay his victims £30,000 or face a prison sentence. However, not a penny was paid back and he was hauled back to Burnley Crown Court this week and sentenced to 11 months in jail.

READ MORE: Predator followed vulnerable woman home from night out before assaulting her in dark alleyway

Lancashire County Council said Pate pleaded guilty to offences of unfair commercial practices under Consumer Protection Regulations concerning his landscaping and building business. On each occasion, the work carried out for the six victims was of poor quality, and unfinished, LancsLive reports.

There was a pattern of starting jobs, leaving homes in a mess, and then refusing to come back to continue with the projects. Most of his work had to be re-done at a later date by other tradesmen.

Issues included consumers being left with incomplete roofing work and leaks, taking payments for building materials that never arrived, leaving piles of rubbish and earth for consumers to clear themselves and, in some cases, applying pressure to make further payments before they were due by threatening that work would stop.

He would obtain jobs by offering empty promises that work would be completed in weeks, but then would delay them for many months. In some cases, work was still ongoing, and the householders were still living in turmoil, more than a year after it was started.

Following the sentence on Monday (December 9), Pate will now face confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act in the hope of obtaining some compensation for the victims.

Councillor Michael Green, cabinet member for Health and Wellbeing at Lancashire County Council, said: "I was appalled to hear how Lancashire residents were exploited by Mr Pate, but I'm pleased that he has been brought to justice. Our Trading Standards Officers will continue to take robust action to protect Lancashire householders from rogue tradesmen.

"The message is clear - if you target our residents with misleading claims or negligent work, we will prosecute you and take you off the streets. Rogue traders can appear to be very friendly and plausible at the start of jobs, until things go wrong, when they leave houses in chaos and turn on customers.

"Please therefore make detailed checks before you employ traders. Use the Lancashire Safe Trader Scheme, obtain recommendations from friends and family, and ensure you get multiple quotes for the work you want completing. Obtaining early assistance is vitally important. If you need help with a possible rogue trader, please call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133."