Help! Emloyed a company to do block paved driveway and they're travellers!

Davesnave

Davesnave wrote: »

The fact that they have signs and a branded van suggests they have good intent.

Otherwise, why bother?

ytfcmad wrote: »

There's one born every minute! You can see why these people get away with it so often.

I'll spell it out then:

OP asked a question and I replied that the signage suggested they had intentions that were good. i.e. that this implied a certain amount of organisation and the desire to get more than one job in each street. It's not the classic way real fly-by-nights would behave.

I thought it pretty obvious that I don't know anything about their level of skill and ability.

You don't know they're criminals either, but it hasn't stopped you saying so.

Davesnave

3card wrote: »

I think you'll find there's a case here


https://www.scambs.gov.uk/content/pair-punished-fly-tipped-waste

Mrs Violet Willett would like us to think so!

n a second case, Violet Willett, 44, of Orchard Road, Histon, pleaded guilty for failing in her duty of care to ensure that her waste was disposed of lawfully - despite her husband running a landscape gardening business from their address and being registered as a waste carrier.
She was fined £200 with the Council's costs of £100 being awarded as well as a victim surcharge of £15.
Members of the public discovered the domestic waste in Long Drove, Waterbeach, and evidence recovered led enforcement officers to Violet Willett. She admitted paying people she didn't know £90 to take it away when they called at her address.

However, in the absence of the third party, I don't think I'm quite ready to believe they exist.

srm1

For the sake of repeating myself, if you think this company is dubious then research them some more on the internet or speak with Trading Standards to see if they have had similar complaints.

ytfcmad

Davesnave wrote: »

I'll spell it out then:

OP asked a question and I replied that the signage suggested they had intentions that were good. i.e. that this implied a certain amount of organisation and the desire to get more than one job in each street. It's not the classic way real fly-by-nights would behave.

I thought it pretty obvious that I don't know anything about their level of skill and ability.

You don't know they're criminals either, but it hasn't stopped you saying so.

Yep your right what was i thinking, the OP only described them as Travelers so i'm sure they are all law abiding tax paying salt of the earth types.
No doubt once they've done his drive they wont be back to do his shed and garage (whilst he's out)

Top of the morning to you.

jwil

Davesnave wrote: »

Would you like to provide a link to a case like this, where a person has been prosecuted for the actions of a third party?

There are plenty out there

http://www.northwarks.gov.uk/news/article/2265/flytipping_prosecutions_in_court

http://www.caerphilly.gov.uk/News/News-Bulletin/November-2014/Resident-prosecuted-for-fly-tipping-offence.aspx

http://www.bridlingtonfreepress.co.uk/news/local/council-s-warning-after-brid-man-unwittingly-allowed-illegal-fly-tipping-1-7362639

http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/fly-tipping-fine-for-carlisle-man-1.1223453

http://www.somersetwaste.gov.uk/2014/06/fly-tipped-rubbish-costs-woman-100/

jwil

Davesnave wrote: »

However, in the absence of the third party, I don't think I'm quite ready to believe they exist.

You can see it on facebook and similar sites all the time - people posting for someone to clear rubbish for them. How many of the people offering to do this are genuine, and how many people check?

The legislation is clear enough, if you can't prove who you gave it to, you haven't followed your duty of care and can be prosecuted.

http://www.environmentlaw.org.uk/rte.asp?id=83

Household Duty of Care
If you are a householder, you are required to take reasonable steps to check that people removing waste from your premises are authorised to do so.

Reasonable steps to take:

Ask the waste carrier to provide you with their full address and telephone number.
Ask to see their waste carrier licence issued by the Environment Agency or Natural Resources Wales.
Contact the Environment Agency directly on 08708 506 506 and ask for a free instant Waste Carrier Validation Check, alternatively you can check online on the Environment Agency website.

Furts

jwil wrote: »

You can see it on facebook and similar sites all the time - people posting for someone to clear rubbish for them. How many of the people offering to do this are genuine, and how many people check?

The legislation is clear enough, if you can't prove who you gave it to, you haven't followed your duty of care and can be prosecuted.

http://www.environmentlaw.org.uk/rte.asp?id=83

Household Duty of Care
If you are a householder, you are required to take reasonable steps to check that people removing waste from your premises are authorised to do so.

Reasonable steps to take:

Ask the waste carrier to provide you with their full address and telephone number.
Ask to see their waste carrier licence issued by the Environment Agency or Natural Resources Wales.
Contact the Environment Agency directly on 08708 506 506 and ask for a free instant Waste Carrier Validation Check, alternatively you can check online on the Environment Agency website.

I had a discrete word with an elderley neighbour about this a few weeks ago. She had employed travellers to cut tall hedges and they filled a Transit pick up truck with cuttings.. She explained that she did not know they were travellers. I asked if she knew the mans name, or address, or had a business card or had looked for any business details painted on his truck. The answer was negative to all of these.

She also told the man that she was vulnerable and her husband was in the house and was unwell. She then asked me why the men were in her back garden looking around when she had asked them to cut the the tall hedge in the front garden...It is likely that they will be returning.

Davesnave

jwil wrote: »

You can see it on facebook and similar sites all the time - people posting for someone to clear rubbish for them. How many of the people offering to do this are genuine, and how many people check?

The legislation is clear enough, if you can't prove who you gave it to, you haven't followed your duty of care and can be prosecuted.

http://www.environmentlaw.org.uk/rte.asp?id=83

Household Duty of Care
If you are a householder, you are required to take reasonable steps to check that people removing waste from your premises are authorised to do so.

Reasonable steps to take:

Ask the waste carrier to provide you with their full address and telephone number.
Ask to see their waste carrier licence issued by the Environment Agency or Natural Resources Wales.
Contact the Environment Agency directly on 08708 506 506 and ask for a free instant Waste Carrier Validation Check, alternatively you can check online on the Environment Agency website.

I'm sorry, I didn't make myself very clear, though the example you chose yesterday was unfortunate, and some of those sent today are in the same mould. In other words, people make stuff up when they find themselves bang to rights, but I don't deny any of the things you are saying here and the legislation is clear too.

The long-winded but clearer response to your earlier post is that it would be pretty unusual for someone to employ a trade, and for that person to subsquently find themselves prosecuted for the actions of the tradesperson, in this case persons installing a driveway.

This is a very different type of transaction from the direct hiring of someone, real or imaginary, Facebook or whatever, to get rid of household waste. Magistrates are not usually fools and they would appreciate the difference.

For example, how many of us when changing car tyres really know that the supplier is licenced for disposal? Maybe they're not, but they use someone who is, and so on. I don't know about my tyre chap.

In other words, I don't think it is helpful to worry the OP about this, especially as he can do !!!-all about it now!

mo786uk

OP can you tell us what happened

The fact that they have legit looking vans, paperwork and websites is irrelevant - those kind of things can be set up by dodgy traders very easily

I suspect you will get a job that will look good or crap on top but will eventually dip as the base hasnt been done properly.

DRP

mo786uk wrote: »

OP can you tell us what happened

The fact that they have legit looking vans, paperwork and websites is irrelevant - those kind of things can be set up by dodgy traders very easily

I suspect you will get a job that will look good or crap on top but will eventually dip as the base hasnt been done properly.

Same could be said of any firm who does your drive, really.

The prev owners of our house had the drive block paved a few years before we bought it by an established local company; it cost thousands of pounds (small front yard of a smallish terraced house), and we have all the paperwork including the quote, full spec, invoice - looks very professional.

Unfortunately they built the block paving covering airbricks and above the dpc, causing damp problems in the house, and 3 or so years later, there's plenty of big dips in the block paving itself...