A COMPANY called Regal Roofing carried out a royal rip-off on its clients, a court has heard.

Blackburn Magistrates' Court was told how the dodgy firm had a catalogue of botched roofing jobs which costs their "clients" thousands of pounds.

The court was told, on Tuesday, August 2, how many of the customers who paid for the jobs had to then pay out more to reputable companies to put things right.

Tyronne Francis Young, 29, of Ewood Caravan Site, Aqueduct Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to 10 offences under the unfair trading regulations.

He was committed on bail to Preston Crown Court to be sentenced on September 9 for the offences, which took place mainly in June 2021, with others occurring between November 2020 and July 2021.

Charges arising from the same incidents against James Young, 35, Abraham Isaac Young, 22, both of Ewood Caravan Site, were withdrawn after Tyronne Young had entered his guilty pleas.

Claire Box, prosecuting on behalf of Lancashire Trading Standards, said most of the offences related to work done on houses on the same estate in Bacup and one in Blackburn.

""The charges relate to taking money off home-owners for sub-standard, unnecessary or uncompleted work," said Miss Box.

"The defendant failed to provide legally required information on customers rights to cancel or full company details."

Miss Box said the charges related to five victims, four in Bacup and one in Blackburn.

The Blackburn home owner was quoted £6,500 for a new roof and the work started a week later.

The job was completed and the money paid but a few weeks later the roof started leaking again.

Another roofer was brought in and identified numerous problems with the work which cost £3,200 to put right.

The Bacup offences were all committed in the Hazel Grove area where most of the owners responded to leaflets that had been put through their doors.

The first was told bubbling in his ceiling was due to a leak in the roof. Work was carried out and money handed over but when it rained a few weeks later the roof leaked.

A building surveyor sent out by Trading Standards said the bubbling in the ceiling had nothing to do with the roof.

"The work to the roof was to a very poor standard and the owner has had to pay £6,500 to have it done properly.

Another resident had to pay £10,000 to have their roof fixed after Young and his associates had 'fixed' it.

Another home owner paid £4,500 to have a leaking roof window fixed. The work took only one day. It rained two days later and there were two large leaks which cost £4,200.

Another home owner was quoted £9,500 to replace rotten battens and felt. The day after work started Young said he had lost his credit card and needed cash for materials.

"The victim reluctantly handed over £2,500 and that was the last time she saw the defendant," said Miss Box.

"She got a local builder in to complete the job and it cost her another £8,500.

"The defendant seems to have targeted as many houses as possible on the same estate and then disappeared before the complaints started."