Preston woman reveals she had to change her locks after rogue trader Jason Myers struck

Trickster Jason Myers, 48, of Plungington Road, Preston, was given a 20 week jail term, suspended for 12 months by Judge Simon Newell, and must pay a total of £1,480 compensation between his three victims.

Myers, who has 21 convictions for 50 offences - including some similar incident - also got a curfew and must undertake a rehabilitation programme admitted a string of nine unfair trading and fraud offences.

His firm Deck Tech, which is currently being struck off, admitted two linked charges and was ordered to pay a £20 fine and £30 surcharge.

Lancashire Trading Standards prosecuted him after a series of complaints, including never returning to complete work that had been paid for, and lying about his address.

He attended the home of victim Deborah Clague from Preston, to fit a skylight, but failed to notify the homeowner her rights to cancel the contract, and provided a fake business address.

The court heard she had agreed for him to fit UPVC Velux window skylight with double glazed glass. She has since had to pay out again for a professional job by a reputable company.

Prosecuting, David Traynor said: "In fact, the skylight fitted to the home of Deborah Clague was wooden framed and only a single pane of Perspex rather than a UPVC Velux window with double glazed glass."

Myers then told Mrs Clague she needed “urgent” work to fit new window lintels as the existing ones were “failing” and would lead to “brick work crushing and smashing the windows underneath”.

Mr Traynor added a building surveyor appointed by Trading Standards later found the windows he claimed he worked on did not have lintels on them at all, and that the work would have been unnecessary anyway.

Myers did three sets of garden work at another woman's home, but again failed to notify her of her right to cancel the contract - and after being paid for the third set of works he never returned to do it.

On another occasion, Myers admits engaging in unfair commercial practice with a woman in December 2017 by omitting information about her rights to cancel work, and again providing a fake address on her invoice.

He took her £300 deposit but never returned.

She wrote to Myers at the address on the invoice but this letter was returned by Royal Mail as there was ‘no such address’.

Following complaints, Trading Standards contacted Jason Myers and during an interview, a prepared statement was read on his behalf which included the claim: " I was unable to complete the work at her property due to a dispute she was having with a neighbour."

He claimed the inaccurate business address was a "genuine typographical error."

Today Mrs Clague said: " I placed an ad on a traders' website and chose Jason Myers as he was a local tradesman, he came round and we agreed a price for him to replace the skylight.

"At first he was very plausible and seemed very nice, when he was due to start the work the excuses started the roofer was ill, his van broke down, his mother had fallen etc.

" When the work began as myself and my partner both work full time we agreed to give him a key so that he could carry on the work - he even joked about being trustworthy saying he hadn't taken the TV."

But the couple soon became suspicious.

She adds: " I had had enough of his excuses and emailed him to let him know my feelings as he wouldn't answer my phone calls. I got no reply and told him I wanted the door key and my money returning, still no response. By now I realised that he was a con man.

"Due to him still having a key I was afraid he may come round at anytime and take anything he wanted. This led to sleepless nights as my partner was working shifts and I didn't feel safe in my own home, resulting in having to have the locks changed."

" I totally despise Jason Myers - he is a con man with no scruples, a totally untrustworthy man who I wish I had never met. Lancashire Trading Standards have been brilliant in getting him to court but unfortunately without an immediate prison sentence he is roaming the streets possibly looking for other victims."