A BUILDING company and its director have been sentenced after carrying out unsafe and unnecessary building work.
BBS Improvements Limited and sole director Barrie John Henry Birch were sentenced after a joint investigation by Worcestershire Trading Standards Service and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) uncovered a string of health and safety and fraud offences.
Worcester Crown Court heard how Birch, operating under BBS Improvements Ltd, was employed to carry out building work on a property in Redditch in May 2017.
A complaint was made to Trading Standards who instructed an expert to take a look. The confirmed the work was wholly unnecessary and that the work done had no value at all.
During the course of their investigations Trading Standards also uncovered potential health and safety issues.
Inspectors found the company was carrying out work at height without scaffolding with no measures in place to prevent employees from falling.
Birch was present and fully aware of the people working unsafely on the roof.
At the time the complaint Birch was also before the court for similar offences committed while trading under the name BBS Improvements.
The Court heard how Birch was employed to carry out minor roofing repairs on a property in Bromsgrove in June 2016.
After inspecting the roof Birch advised the homeowner the whole roof required replacing.
A Trading Standards investigation found this was totally unnecessary.
Birch admitted an offence under the Fraud Act 2006 and an offence under the Consumer Protection from unfair Trading Regulations 2008 in relation to unnecessary work at a Bromsgorve property in June 2016.
He also pleaded guilty to breaching Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
Birch also asked for five other, similar matters to be taken into consideration including two offences of failing to provide the 10 Year Insurance Backed Guarantee.
For the Trading Standards offences and the HSE offences Birch was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, ordered to do 250 hours of unpaid work and was disqualified from being a company director for five years.
He was ordered to pay compensation to the victims and to make a contribution to the prosecution costs.
BBS Improvements Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6 (3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and the company was fined £200.
