Billingham driveway and patio company directors admit 'sub standard' work offences

David Gillies, 43, had denied 16 unfair trading practices and initially stood trial at Teesside Crown Court.

The prosecution said he “promised the earth” as customers paid tens of thousands of pounds between them to Billingham-based Riverside Resin for faulty or unfinished work to drives, patios and paths.

Yet he has now pleaded guilty to eight of the charges, all of engaging in unfair commercial practices, covering seven victims.

The prosecution offered no evidence on two counts of misleading commercial practices and six similar charges will lie on file.

Gillies was bailed until he and another director of the company, Rebecca Wilson, 40, of Anlaby Close, Billingham, who pleaded guilty on a previous occasion, are sentenced at a later date.

Prosecutor Rebecca Brown said they were the “controlling minds of the company”, which claimed to be a “friendly, professional and hard-working team committed to creating outstanding results for our customers”.

She told jurors: “The prosecution will show you that time after time Riverside Resin were signing people up for work and that work was sub-standard or not complete or both.”

The court was told complaints were ignored, dismissed or met with delays, excuses or empty promises.

Among their customers were people from Hartlepool.

Gillies, of Victoria Avenue, Redcar, originally told trading standards officers that he had not been made aware of the complaints.