Bogus builder left Stoke-on-Trent customers counting cost

demoduck.co.uk editorial team 2026-08-03 17:19 3 min read

A room undergoing remodeling with red walls, tools, and construction materials in London.

Customers were left with unfinished building work and depleted life savings after paying Kevin Hayes, who claimed he could fit kitchens and bathrooms and undertake wider construction work. Instead, Stoke-on-Trent City Council Trading Standards found that he took £187,000 — nearly £190,000 — from 22 victims without completing the promised jobs or obtaining the required supplies.

Hayes was sentenced to five years in prison, the council confirmed on Monday, 3 August 2026. The sentence followed an investigation, his flight to Spain and his eventual extradition to the UK.

Five-year sentence follows losses across 22 households

Trading standards officers established that Hayes accepted customers’ money while operating as an apparently legitimate tradesman. The consequences extended beyond the £187,000 total loss: victims were left living with incomplete building projects after payments intended for work and materials disappeared.

Councillor Amjid Wazir, the council’s cabinet member for city pride and enforcement, said Hayes had caused havoc in many lives, with victims losing life savings and being left with unfinished buildings. He thanked the trading standards team for pursuing the case and said enforcement protects both residents and legitimate local businesses from illegal operators.

False logos and quotations helped secure customers’ trust

Hayes visited properties and supplied quotations, presenting himself as a knowledgeable kitchen and bathroom fitter and builder. According to the council, he used trademarks and other logos without authorisation to strengthen the impression that customers were dealing with a genuine trader.

Bogus builder left Stoke-on-Trent customers counting cost

After receiving payment, he failed to complete the requested work. Customers were given excuses that included stolen tools, a broken-down van and family members being admitted to hospital. Investigators also found that the supplies needed for the agreed projects had not been obtained.

Together, the property visits, quotations, claims of specialist knowledge and use of recognisable branding created an appearance of legitimacy before money changed hands. The later excuses prolonged the disruption for customers whose work remained incomplete.

Flight to Spain ended with extradition to the UK

Hayes absconded to Spain in November 2022. He was eventually caught and extradited to the UK in December 2025, allowing the criminal proceedings against him to continue more than three years after he fled.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of participating in a fraudulent business and two counts of the unauthorised use of a trademark. Those offences resulted in the five-year custodial sentence announced by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

Builder ban will continue for five years after release

Alongside the prison term, Hayes received a criminal anti-social behaviour order. It prevents him from trading as a builder for five years after his release, meaning the restriction will continue beyond the time he spends in custody.

The order directly addresses the type of work through which Hayes gained access to customers and their money. It also means the consequences of the case are not limited to imprisonment.

Stoke-on-Trent residents with concerns about rogue traders can contact the council’s Trading Standards hotline on 01782 238884 or use the Trading Standards service at www.stoke.gov.uk/tradingstandards.

Source: Stoke-on-Trent City Council

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The sentence, losses, charges and trading restriction were checked against the account published by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

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