Bungling Bassetlaw builder put homeowners' lives '˜in serious danger'

A bungling Bassetlaw builder who put homeowners' lives 'in serious danger' by flouting key regulations has been slapped with fines and costs totalling more than £8,000.

John Evans, of Station Street, Misterton, was prosecuted after he committed what has been described as “potentially one of the worst examples of a blatant breach of building regulations” ever discovered by Bassetlaw District Council.

He pleaded guilty to two charges of breaching building regulations after investigations from the Council’s Building Control Team uncovered “significant defects” with the structural stability of an extension and garage conversion that hehad constructed.

The Beckingham home-owner was also left “thousands of pounds” out of pocket after paying Evans up front for the majority of the work, which had to be rectified and completed by a different contractor.

Councillor Jo White, cabinet member for Economic Development at Bassetlaw District Council, said: “By not informing the Council at the correct stages of building work, Evans was able to create a large number of significant defects to the structure of the building, which if not corrected could have resulted in a partial collapse, potentially putting the homeowner’s lives in danger.

“The Council’s Building Control Team do an essential job to ensure that any building work carried out in our district is first and foremost safe and complies with the necessary regulations.

“Should they discover that the correct procedures are not being followed, we will not hesitate to take the most appropriate action.”

During a visit to the property in December 2017,, a control surveyor found that Evans had constructed an extension, converted part of a garage to a bathroom and removed a load-bearing wall without adequate structural support to the existing house. Approval had not been obtained prior to the work starting, which was found to be “inadequate” and compromised the structure of the existing building.

Detailed inspections also found major structural deficiencies in the foundations, means of support to floor joists, fire spread between a garage and dwelling and inadequate drainage and thermal insulation provision.

The defective work could have had “serious consequences” to the building’s overall stability.

Evans was fined £2,000, ordered to pay £957.50 costs to the Council and a £150 victim surcharge.He was also ordered to pay £5,000 in compensation to the homeowner, which is the maximum amount that can be awarded by a Magistrates Court. The total amount came to £8,107.50.

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