12th November 2026
There have been more reports of rogue traders going door to door and offering to replace or repair driveways or private roads using materials that are supposedly left over from a previous job.
Last week workers visited a restaurant and said they had tarmac left over from a job they had just completed. They offered to fill in potholes in the car park, quoting a price of £4 per square foot.
The pub owner asked them to fill in five potholes, expecting this to cost a couple of hundred pounds.
However, a couple of hours later the workers returned to the restaurant and asked for over £3,000. The owner discovered they had covered the entire car park with chips and some tar, doing a very substandard job. He refused to pay on the spot and asked for an invoice with a full breakdown of costs.
He later received an invoice which quoted a company name and address which did not match up - the address provided was for a completely different business.
How to Avoid
Any unsolicited trader who offers to carry out work on your property must give you their business name and address.
Don't agree to let a cold caller start work straight away - do plenty of research into their company and, if something doesn’t look right, don’t deal with them.
If a trader starts work on your property without being authorised and then demands payment, report them to Police Scotland.
Rather than dealing with cold callers, find traders who have been vetted through a national or local authority approved trader scheme at approvedtrader.scot
Rogue traders often imply that a special deal is available and time-sensitive in order to pressure householders into making a decision quickly. Always take time to think before making a decision - don't agree to make any payments for goods or services on the spot.
Report any suspicious behaviour to Police Scotland on 101 or 999 in an emergency.
Report scams to Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000 or via consumeradvice.scot.
Find out more
Police Scotland: www.scotland.police.uk/doorstep-crime-and-bogus-callers
Find traders in Scotland who have been vetted by Trading Standards: approvedtrader.scot
Trading Standards Scotland: www.tsscot.co.uk/priority-areas/doorstep-scammers