Stay Safe and Say No to Cold Callers

Bedford Borough Council Environmental Health & Trading Standards are urging people to stay safe in their own homes by saying a firm "No" to cold calling doorstep traders.

There has been a recent spate of 'cold calling' in the Borough, particularly around Brickhill, Roxton and Riseley. Affected consumers have claimed that 'builders' were pressurising them into agreeing to have building work carried out on their home. Brickhill Liberal Democrats have created a poster to discourage cold callers, which can be downloaded here.

Pressuring consumers may be considered illegal under current consumer protection legislation. It has also been alleged that the completed works have been of poor quality.

Bedford Borough Council's Environmental Health & Trading Standards team are investigating this series of recent incidents are also issuing information and advice to residents in the affected areas.

Lib Dem Councillor Sarah-Jayne Holland, Portfolio Holder for Community and Regulatory Services, said: "Agreeing to pay for any service on the basis of a door step visit is extremely risky and we would strongly advise local residents not to do this.

"The best course of action is to always do your homework first and try to find local people or businesses which you can trust. In many cases that means using personal recommendations or you can use traders on the Trading Standards Approved list.

"It is also important to remember that all traders are required to provide paperwork confirming a statutory 7 day cooling-off period providing the consumer the opportunity to change their mind so you should never feel rushed or pressured into having work carried out."

If you think you may have been the victim of doorstep crime or would like further advice, please contact Environmental Health & Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 08454 04 05 06.