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Coverage aired on 12 October 2026 on ITV1 and 5 addressed rogue roofers and roofing scams, combining consumer warnings from Citizens Advice with personal accounts. Both channels conveyed that unsolicited doorstep approaches and pressure to pay can be features of such scams, and both advised homeowners to research traders, seek multiple quotes, and avoid cash payments. ITV1 reported one in four roofing complaints is a suspected scam and that roofing is the single biggest scam reported to Citizens Advice's consumer service, while 5 reported one in 10 scams recorded over the past year involved roofing. ITV1 spoke to Ima Sheehy of Citizens Advice, who described cold doorstep tactics, invented problems, upfront charges for phantom repairs, and an example where a woman living alone was quoted 250 pounds then 3,500 pounds. 5 spoke to consumer expert Helen Judy and viewer John, who said he lost 12,000 pounds to a roofer who left after about four days with the roof leaking more; 5 reported the roofer was later convicted and sentenced to nine years. Advice across the coverage included credit card protection, Consumer Rights Act refund rights, checking trusted trader schemes, and obtaining three quotes.

Key Claims by Channel

Friday 28 August 2026

Claim
Reported by a few · 2 channels
A new voluntary scheme for builders introduces payment protection linked to milestones and requires standards in customer service, transparency, and dispute resolution.		Not reported by BBC One
The government announced a new scheme to help homeowners identify trusted builders.	Reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC One	Reported by Sky News
Only on one channel
The scheme includes a database of approved traders and payment safeguards.	Not reported by Channel 5		Not reported by Sky News
The National Federation of Builders said the changes are not enough.	Not reported by Channel 5		Not reported by Sky News
Trading standards budgets have been cut by 50% over the past decade.	Not reported by Channel 5		Not reported by Sky News
Consumer Protection Minister Kate Dearden said the policy will be reviewed closely.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC One	Reported by Sky News
Sky News correspondent Amelia Harper found tens of thousands of homeowners with building problems after a year-long investigation.	Not reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC One	Reported by Sky News
Builder Michael Parinci expressed doubts about the scheme's effectiveness and advised consumers to check Companies House records and avoid cash payments.		Not reported by BBC One	Not reported by Sky News
5 News aired viewer comments about negative experiences with builders.	Reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC One	Not reported by Sky News

Monday 12 October 2026

Claim
Reported by all 2 channels
ITV1 reported an account in which a roofing quote rose from £9,000 to £12,000 after about half a day, and the roof leaked worse after the work was finished.		Reported by ITV
Consumer advice included caution over unsolicited roof work, checking traders and qualifications, obtaining multiple quotes, and being wary of cash-only payments or no written agreement.	Reported by Channel 5	Reported by ITV
One in 10 scams recorded over the past year involved roofing, according to Citizens Advice.		Reported by ITV
Only on one channel
Citizens Advice reported that one in four roofing complaints is a suspected scam.	Not reported by Channel 5
Roofing scams were the most reported scam to the consumer service in the past year.	Not reported by Channel 5
Around three quarters of roofing scam cases involved a cold doorstep approach.	Not reported by Channel 5
Citizens Advice reported that people had lost from a few hundred to tens of thousands of pounds to rogue roofers.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by ITV
Citizens Advice described a case where a woman in her 60s living alone was quoted £250 for guttering, then told the price was £3,500 when two men attended in the dark, and felt she had no option but to pay.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by ITV
Channel 5 reported that John told trading standards about the roofer, who was initially unknown to them, and that a BBC broadcast led close to 100 other affected people across Wales to come forward.	Reported by Channel 5	Not reported by ITV
The rogue roofer who targeted John was convicted and sentenced to nine years, with attempts to recover money under the Proceeds of Crime Act from frozen assets.		Not reported by ITV
Channel 5 reported viewer accounts including Claire from Sheffield, who lost £200 after a rogue roofer half-finished her job, and Jules from West Yorkshire, who lost £2,100 and £3,000 to two roofers who did no work.	Reported by Channel 5	Not reported by ITV
Channel 5 reported John's account that a single mother with three children locally lost £20,000 to rogue roofers, with another £20,000 needed to correct the work.	Reported by Channel 5	Not reported by ITV
Consumer expert Helen Judy advised paying by credit card for Section 75 protection on jobs between £100 and £30,000, with the bank equally liable and unresolved disputes possible through the Financial Ombudsman.	Reported by Channel 5	Not reported by ITV
Consumer expert Helen Judy said the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires services to be carried out with reasonable skill and care, and customers can seek a full refund or use another trader and charge the company if the trader fails to repair after one chance.	Reported by Channel 5	Not reported by ITV
A roofing trade body said a clampdown on rogue roofers was long overdue.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by ITV

This is a cross-channel consensus summary, not an objective account. Consensus can be uniformly wrong, or omit what only one channel covered.