A ROGUE builder has been sentenced to 240 hours of unpaid work after a Halesowen couple were left with a bill of £60k to fix his shoddy work on their extension.

Eduart Cela quoted the couple £36k for a ground floor rear extension.

They paid him £31,700 and were left with a bill of £60k to put the extension right after an independent chartered surveyor said his work exhibited a severe lack of skill and care.

Cela, aged 42, of Quinton Lane, Birmingham, was sentenced to a two-year community order at Wolverhampton Crown Court on December 13.

He must carry out ten rehabilitation activity days and 240 hours unpaid work.

Cela pleaded guilty to an offence under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations at Dudley Magistrates court in May before being sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court last week.

Dudley Trading Standards will conduct a Proceeds of Crime action to pursue compensation for the victims.

In June 2021 Cela started work on the home in Halesowen after being given architectural plans of the extension with the couple paying him a total of £31,700 in staged payments.

When he finished work in September 2021, the couple were unhappy and asked a structural engineer to carry out an inspection.

The work was also inspected by an independent chartered surveyor after the couple made a complaint to Dudley Council’s trading standards.

The surveyor concluded that the work exhibited a severe lack of skill and care.

Councillor Ian Bevan, cabinet member for public health, said: "Drawings and calculations are an essential part of any building work to ensure its structural integrity and safety.

"A failure to follow these is clear negligence.

"I’m pleased this case was brought to our attention, so that we could investigate and take action and prevent others falling victim to shoddy building work."