Complaints on cowboys soar by 20pc

Complaints to police about rogue traders and dodgy builders have soared by almost 20 per cent as unscrupulous cowboys cash in on the bad weather by offering cut-price roof repairs, it emerged today.

A gloomy start to the summer with the wettest May and June on record, coupled with the recession, has contributed to the surge in the number of reports.

Between May and July 23, West Midlands Police received 82 complaints about doorstep crime, up from just 70 during the same period last year – an increase of 17.1 per cent.

Chris King, chairman of the Central England Trading Standards Authority (CEnTSA), which is made up of 14 councils across the Midlands, including the four Black Country authorities and Staffordshire County Council, said there had been a "significant rise" in doorstep crime since the credit crunch hit.

Peter Calvert, who heads trading standards at Wolverhampton City Council, said complaints had included shoddy building work, roofing repairs, and roof cleaning among others.

"We are getting more doorstep crime reported. We have seen an increase in recent months," he sai