ROGUE roofers are causing misery by targeting elderly householders and persuading them to pay thousands of pounds for unnecessary or sub-standard work, West Yorkshire Trading Standards (WYTS) has warned.

Officers said that glossy leaflets have been delivered door-to-door promising new uPVC fascia, soffits and guttering for a few hundred pounds, backed by an impressive-sounding ten-year guarantee and trade names similar to well-known national home improvement companies.

Householders who take up the offers are then told their roofs need urgent and extensive work to replace rotten felting and wooden battens.

The work is quoted at thousands of pounds and the trader states they want to start immediately.

Faced with these tactics, officers said that many householders have agreed to the work without a second opinion.

Councillor Val Slater (pictured), chairman of the WYTS Committee, said any consumers who suspected rogue traders were working or leafleting in their street should report it to the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 040506.

"Rogue traders cause misery to their victims who are left seriously out of pocket by a combination of shoddy and unnecessary work, and much of this type of crime goes unreported," she said.