A builder from Seend who laid a shoddy driveway has been found guilty of breaching consumer protection laws for a third time.
Arthur Dolan, 48, of Blossom Hill, admitted two offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008, following an investigation by Wiltshire Council’s Trading Standards team.
He was sentenced at Swindon Magistrates Court on Friday August 22, where he was fined £1,333, ordered to pay £2,500 to Wiltshire Council, and a victim surcharge of £533, totalling £4,366.
Dolan has also refunded the victim £14,500 to cover the cost of rectifying the work.
The charges relate to substandard work carried out in February last year at a property in Melksham, where Dolan’s firm, AD Paving & Landscape Ltd, was contracted to install a resin driveway for £7,500.
The homeowner had previously informed him that her father-in-law had moved in and had £30,000 for home improvements. The victim ended up paying Dolan over £25,000 for the driveway, as well as additional work, including a shed replacement and fencing.
A chartered surveyor commissioned by Wiltshire’s Trading Standards found the work to be exceptionally poor and well below expected industry standards.
The resin driveway was laid too thinly on an inadequately compacted subbase, causing an uneven surface and allowing weeds to grow through.
The fencing was also poorly constructed, with misaligned and distorted panels caused by the incorrect fixing of featheredge boards.
This is the third time that Arthur Dolan has been prosecuted for similar offences.
He was previously convicted in April 2019 for shoddy resin driveway work carried out in 2017, and again in May 2021 for failing to meet professional diligence standards during landscaping work carried out between June and June 2019 – just two months after that first conviction.
Councillor Paul Sample, Cabinet Member for Environment at Wiltshire Borough Council, welcomed the prosecution.
“Rogue builders can be difficult to identify and often leave behind incomplete or substandard work, causing distress and financial loss,” he said.
“We encourage residents to use approved trader schemes such as Buy With Confidence, which promote businesses that are safe, fair, and compliant.
“Anyone who believes they have been a victim of a rogue trader should contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.”
