PLASTERING, damp-proofing and grouting were just some of the jobs North East Lincolnshire Council discovered a builder had left unfinished as part of an alleged scam carried out with help from one of their employees, a trial heard.
Darren Major, of Grimsby, is alleged to have left dozens of jobs unfinished after applying for grant funding from the council to renovate 15 vacant properties in the area on behalf of three landlords
A trial at Grimsby Crown Court was told how council employee Brian Drake, who was responsible for the Empty Homes Grant scheme between 2006 and 2008, would sign-off the unfinished work so that Major would be paid regardless.
Peter Russell, who was a chartered surveyor for the council between 2008 and 2010, told the jury how he was asked to survey the properties Major had worked at the end of 2008.
"I visited the properties to ascertain whether works described in schedules had been completed or not," he said.
He revealed a catalogue of unfinished jobs which Major had received grant funding for, including:
Damp-proofing not completed at 166 Park Street, Grimsby.
24 out of 25 jobs at 94 Barcroft Street, Cleethorpes, not carried out.
Re-plastering not completed correctly at 106 Farebrother Street and 286 Hainton Avenue, Grimsby.
Gutters not installed on the porch at 32 Grafton Street, Grimsby.
Lost insulation not replaced at 117 Harold Street, Grimsby.
Michael Smith, prosecuting, asked Mr Russell: "Did you calculate the values of the work that had been done and the work that hadn't been done?"
Mr Russell replied: "I started to do that to get a handle on the numbers involved."
The prosecution alleges that the total amount claimed from the Empty Homes Grant by Major and approved by Drake was £170,000 and that at least £50,000 of work had not been done.
The Empty Homes Grant scheme was designed to encourage landlords to bring empty properties back into use by providing them with a proportion of the cost of renovating vacant homes.
Major, 41, and Drake, 43, of Beverley, both deny conspiracy to defraud North East Lincolnshire Council and landlords Simon Smith, Sheila Smith and Martin Norton, between April 2006 and December 2008.
The trial continues. Keep reading your Grimsby Telegraph for Drake and Major's defence.
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