A rogue builder from Leamington Spa has been sentenced to 22 months in prison after leaving a family to live with a 'dangerous' garage conversion.

It follows a successful investigation and prosecution undertaken by Warwickshire County Council Trading Standards.

Jonathan Rhys Lomas, aged 50, was sentenced on 9 October at Coventry Crown Court and ordered to pay the victim surcharge.

This comes after he took money from a victim but did not have the skills to carry out the work leaving the victim's build 'wholly defective and dangerous'.

The judge described the victim as being left in 'Promise Land', the trader promising again and again to return to fix the work, which he failed to do, leaving a family, including a newborn baby, in a home, some of which was mouldy and at risk of collapse!

Mr Lomas, who traded as JD Lomas and Sons, had pleaded guilty to three offences under the Fraud Act 2006.

Warwickshire County Councillor Michael Bannister, Portfolio Holder for Customer and Localities said: "This prosecution serves as a warning to rogue traders operating in Warwickshire, who are causing harm and misery to often very elderly and vulnerable residents, that we will take decisive action against them.

"Our Trading Standards Service will continue to investigate and bring before the courts rogue traders who are taking residents' money for work that is often unnecessary, is not completed and in some cases not even begun, or is carried out to an unacceptable standard."

"To protect yourself from rogue traders, don't use traders who simply turn up unexpectedly on your doorstep. Ideally look for traders with verifiable addresses and try to seek recommendations from people you know and trust.

"Finally, always get several written quotes before you agree to any work commencing and don't pay all the money up front."

Mr Lomas previously carried out some patio work for the victim, which he was happy with, and approached the builder again to carry out some more extensive renovations to his property, which it transpired Mr Lomas did not have the skills to complete.

The builder agreed to convert a garage into a wet room and playroom for the victim and almost immediately took the grossly inflated sum of £1200 from the victim to pay for planning permission but never made an application.

He later took a further £10,000 for building materials but used most of the money to pay back another unhappy customer.

Further payments were then made to Mr Lomas totalling £18,800 in all.

Much of this money was also used to pay his debts.

Building work progressed slowly with Mr Lomas often claiming that either he or a family member was ill, and he could therefore not visit the property.

When interviewed by Trading Standards, Mr Lomas admitted that he wasn't coping and was unable to competently carry out the building and electrical work on the conversion, which he left in an unfinished, defective and dangerous state.

His failure to complete the works in a timely fashion and use the correct damp proofing led to the garage walls becoming covered in mould.

Consequently, the victim and his family, who had recently had a baby were forced to live upstairs.

His Honour Judge Berlin stated that the offences committed by Mr Lomas were appalling and from the start he had been acting fraudulently, a rogue trader who perpetrated a cynical, calculated, and persistent swindle.

He added that the victim and his family were left in a house that could not be secured, with a permanent draft throughout and mouldy plasterboard.

In mitigation Mr Lomas representing himself said that he was deeply disgusted and ashamed of what he had done to the victim and their family and wanted to pay them back although he did not have the money to do so currently.

To make a consumer complaint or obtain consumer advice, please phone the Citizens Advice Consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133 or visit here.