Driveway scam ‘sweeping’ the county
Highways chiefs are warning householders about scammers operating in areas where their crews have resurfaced roads.
Lincolnshire County Council has had reports of criminals taking the stones from newly resurfaced roads, then posing as highways crews and offering to re-do driveways with the stolen material.
“A group of scammers is reportedly sweeping up loose materials from newly resurfaced roads, then using what they’ve nabbed to try and con people out of their cash,” explained a council spokesperson.
“Posing as a highways crew, it’s believed the group are going from house-to-house claiming to have extra Tarmac and stone chips left over from a nearby, legitimate resurfacing set of works.
“Taking the stones from the roads before they’ve bedded-in properly leaves them in a poor state and will mean the council needs to revisit those sites and do the work all over again.
“None of our crews carry out private works. And, at the end of each shift, materials are weighed in again to ensure minimal waste and that everything is accounted for. Somebody claiming to be from the council’s highways team, saying that they have leftovers, is telling you a lie and trying to scam you.”
As previously reported the council is currently undertaking its biggest ever programme of resurfacing costing £5.5m. When a road is resurfaced, the loose stone chips are left in position on the road to allow the lower bitumen layer to toughen and traffic on the road helps embed more material.
Cllr Michael Cheyne, executive member for Highways at Lincolnshire County Council said: “This scam is as worrying as it is outrageous. For these people to approach people with this lie is bad enough, but for them to also be stealing materials from the top of roads is causing a real risk to the other members of the public, too.
“We will be doing everything we can to get the newly surfaced roads back to order as quickly as we can. We will also have officers on the case to get the thieves identified.
“If anyone approaches you offering to do your driveway for cash with leftover materials from a nearby highways job, tell them no.
“They are not legitimate. This is a scam. They will not do a good job and you could be left with a driveway ruined and out of pocket.”
Mark Keal, head of Lincolnshire Trading Standards added: “Sadly, these rogue traders think nothing of cheating residents out of their hard-earned cash. If something sounds too good to be true, that is most often the case.
“If you are approached in this way it’s important not to feel pressurised. Take control of the situation by following some basic steps. Get a range of quotes and check if your preferred trader has insurance and is a member of an approved trader scheme, like Buy with Confidence or TrustMark.
“If you are ever unsure whether someone is working on behalf of the highways team, contact the council on: 01522 782070 to confirm.”
If you think a business has broken the law or acted unfairly, report them to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice Consumer Service.
Visit www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer or call the consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.