A ROGUE trader has admitted charging a vulnerable Wirral pensioner thousands of pounds for gardening work without giving him notice of his right to cancel.

Charles Jones pleaded guilty to an offence of fraud and another offence under the Companies Act 2006 when he appeared before Wirral magistrates on Tuesday, in a prosecution brought by Wirral Trading Standards.

The 42-year-old – trading as “Complete Landscapes” – cold called at the home of an 89-year-old Heswall resident on June 12 last year and offered to landscape the front and rear gardens of the property.

The elderly resident – who is completely housebound and reliant on carers – was not given any paperwork detailing what work or price had been agreed.

He was not given a notice of his right to cancel a contract within seven days, otherwise known as a “cooling off” period, nor was he given a business address, something traders have a legal duty to disclose.

The victim said that he did not ask for any particular work to be done but that Jones – of Talwen, Stanley Estate, Buckley, Flintshire – more or less told him what work he would do.

In the course of the work Jones undertook, the elderly man stated that his garden had been “decimated” by the removal and cutting back of trees and bushes that he had specifically asked not to be touched.

He was subsequently charged £3,500 for the work. The 89-year-old reluctantly gave Jones a cheque for the work, though he was able to cancel it before it was cashed.

Jones was sentenced to undertake 80 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay costs of £1,212.22 after pleading guilty to both charges.

Councillor Bernie Mooney, Wirral’s cabinet member for environment and sustainability, said: “Bringing this case to court demonstrates the hard work and commitment shown by Wirral’s trading standards offices towards protecting residents.

“It also demonstrates exactly why we don’t welcome cold calling of any kind in Wirral.”