A DISABLED woman was forced to clean herself with “wet wipes” and wee in a bucket after “cowboy builders” she paid £22,000 bodged building an extension and vanished.
The drain pipes were left “smashed” and the workers abandoned the home renovation after just two weeks.
Mary Lukins, 59, from Southampton, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2016, contracted builders, who cannot be named for legal reasons, on February 24 2022, to make her semi-detached house “more accessible” by building a rear single-storey extension and downstairs bathroom.
Work began on July 7 2022, after receiving planning permission, but two weeks later Mary said the builders packed up their equipment and never came back, leaving her three-bedroom house with broken drains and an unfinished conservatory.
Mary said her life was a “living nightmare” for a year, as she could not use the toilet or bathe because water would not drain, and “raw sewage” would pour into her garden when she tried to flush the toilet.
An independent report by another building company, called Innerspace Solutions Ltd, found Mary’s drains had been “compromised due to the damage caused when footings were excavated” and estimated the total cost of repairs to be about £11,200.
Unable to afford the remedial work, Mary said she urinated in a bucket or drove to a friend’s house nearby, and often relied on wet wipes and deodorant to keep clean.
Mary said: “I’ve worked for over 20 years and every penny has been put into this house because like most people it’s my pension.
“When they smashed all my drains up, I lived for a year without being able to use my toilet, washing machine, dishwasher, and my drains were overflowing with raw sewage.
“Not only did they take £22,000 of my money, they caused over £11,000 worth of damage to my house, and left me living in a hell hole.
“It’s been the worst stress I’ve ever experienced in my life and I’m disabled, my mobility is rubbish.”
Mary, who worked as a family support worker for the council, took early retirement in 2021 after her health started deteriorating because of her MS, a condition which restricts her mobility and the use of her left hand.
She considered spending her pension on a world cruise but said the “sensible” option was to “future proof” her home, where she has lived since November 2012.
In early 2022, Mary sent an inquiry to Checkatrade, a website claiming to connect people with “guaranteed” builders that have been reviewed by their “vetting team”.
“When they came out and visited me, they looked very official and put me at ease, saying they were nationwide, had contracts all over the country, were fully insured and had a team of professional construction workers,” said Mary, who paid a £9,000 deposit to buy materials.
Planning permission was granted on June 30 and a week later, the builders arrived at the property.
To begin with, Mary said, they “seemed all right” and she would offer to make them bacon sandwiches.
She was shocked to learn they were planning to dig the foundations by hand instead of renting an excavator as promised.
“Bearing in mind we had nearly 40C heat and this bloke is out there digging away,” said Mary.
When they smashed all my drains up, I lived for a year without being able to use my toilet, washing machine, dishwasher, and my drains were overflowing with raw sewage
Mary Lukins
“That’s how my drains got smashed up – they smashed them with a pickaxe.”
Concerned, Mary contacted Southampton Building Control on July 13 and requested a site visit to make sure the work was up to scratch, a decision she said the builders were not happy about.
An officer turned up two days later and concluded “the foundation depths and drains needed to be inspected” before work could continue.
But the builders claimed the council had verbally signed off their work and proceeded with the construction after reassuring Mary there was nothing to worry about.
Mary said they then requested £7,000 as the groundwork was technically complete and an additional £1,100 to buy French doors.
In early August, they returned and demanded an additional £5,000 to build the conservatory’s dwarf walls, which Mary paid.
“Within five or ten minutes of me paying them, they packed up the cement mixer, took their equipment and that’s the last time I ever saw them,” said Mary.
“They just disappeared. I emailed and text, but they just ignored everything.”
Mary was left with a collapsed drain, which meant she could not use her one upstairs toilet, bath, dishwasher or washing machine, as the water would not evacuate.
Whenever she tried flushing the toilet, Mary said, “raw sewage” would start coming up through her drains and spilling into her garden.
“I used to wash up in a washing up bowl and stagger out, because my balance is terrible, and tip the water on the garden,” said Mary.
“If I wanted to use the toilet, desperately, I would have to get in the car and drive to my friend’s house.
“I could wee in a bucket but if I needed the toilet I had to jump in the car – for more than a year.
“I couldn’t bathe, because I could still get in the bath, but I couldn’t let the water out, so for a year I had to use baby wipes and the odd shower in a can.
“Or if I was having a good day, I would go to my friend’s house for a shower, because my mobility is very poor.
“It was utter hell.”
On August 19 2022, Mary reported the builders to Southampton City Council Trading Standards, but their investigation concluded “the Trading Standards service was unable to pursue criminal offences using consumer protection legislation”.
Not only did they take £22,000 of my money, they caused over £11,000 worth of damage to my house, and left me living in a hell hole
Mary Lukins
“I reported it all (to) Citizens Advice and passed on all the evidence to Trading Standards,” said Mary.
“I was desperate. I was telling them I have no drains, I’m living in an unsanitary, hazardous house, but nobody cared.
“I felt like I was a victim all over again – it was like being mugged in my own home.”
Mary later discovered a number of scathing reviews online about the building company and learned she was not the only one to have been scammed.
One of them was 71-year-old retired fireman Malcolm Carter who, after hearing Mary’s story, offered to help.
He contacted a number of friends who cleared her garden and later fixed her drains, in October 2023 for “next to nothing”.“
All of this happened because I wanted to be able to have a pee downstairs,” said Mary.
“I should have gone on the cruise or gone to the casino.”
She added: “Cowboy builders, that’s what they are.”
If you’ve found yourself a victim of a cowboy builder then there are a few things you need to do, according to insurance experts AXA.
Firstly, you should report them to the police, although the lines between what is criminal and what’s just bad practice can be blurred, it could constitute fraud so it’s worth reporting.
Make sure you provide them with as much information as possible, such as what the problem is, who the person was, any paperwork, photos or videos, and any notes of conversations between you and the builder.
Contact Trading Standards, as they may be able to help you negotiate a settlement, they can also give you advice on what to do next.
Trading Standards may also recommend you contact your local Citizens Advice centre, as they might have similar experiences from other households in your area.
They’ll then pass over your complaints to your local authority Trading Standards service.
If you can track your builder down, you can also take them to the small claims court if they refuse to refund your money.
However, the small claims court can only cover jobs up to £10,000.
This is also why having a contract in place is important.
If you do need to take legal action, you’ll be in a better position to fight your case with physical evidence of an agreement between you both.
Mary also reported the company to Checkatrade who, after carrying out a full investigation, removed the company from the platform and paid Mary £1,000 as part of their 12-month guarantee scheme.
According to the company, cases like Mary’s are extremely rare and are always taken very seriously.
A spokesman for Southampton City Council said: “We are aware of the complaints that were made by Mrs Lukins.
“These were looked into by the trading standards service and they determined that no criminal offences were committed by the builder.
“The actions taken by the council’s trading standards service were referred to the local government ombudsman, who accepted the council’s decision that there was not enough evidence for a criminal prosecution.”
