Demolition builder inundated by £3m of unpaid bills

A builder who demolished his handiwork after a customer did not pay has had more than £3m of unpaid bills registered on his website.

Nigel Gray set up a website roguecustomer.com after he knocked down a £15,000 porch and conservatory in Shoreham, West Sussex when the tenant missed deadlines for payment.

The drastic measures were approved by the council, but Gray has estimated the debacle has left him £22,000 out of pocket.

He has since launched a campaign to help other builders struggling to receive payment and journeyed to Westminster this week to lobby for tougher laws, including legally binding contracts and simpler court hearings.

He also wants firms to have the right to apply for a court order to retrieve goods if customers do not pay within 90 days.

He said his website had been inundated by reports of outstanding debts totaling more than £3m.

He said: “When I took action I had no idea that businesses and traders all over the UK have been in the same situation. The scale of the problem is vast with many small firms going under because a rogue customer refuses to pay a bill, and as we enter a recession it is getting even worse.

“It's not only the building industry that's being hit. We've heard from hoteliers, hairdressers and many other trades who aren't being paid for good quality work.”