He ruined my life – grandma swindled out of life savings by cowboy builder

A Leeds grandma has told how she lost her £14,000 life savings to a cowboy builder.

- by Charles Gray

Yvonne said: "I felt stupid and that I had been done over. All I have is a scrap yard in my garden to show for it." The builder put up two walls in Yvonne's back garden before abandoning the project.

Yvonne Elloitt, 70, had saved up her cash for 10 years with hopes that she would one day have a 3m x 6m extension added to the living room of her Leeds home.

The pensioner was planning to start the work this coming summer when she was approached by a builder last year who, at the time, was carrying out work in her neighbour's garden.

Yvonne told him she was looking for an extension in the near future, but when he made her an offer in June last year she said she would think about it.

Two days later the builder, who also lives in Leeds, knocked on her door holding a contract and said he could complete the work in three weeks if she agreed to it.

Over the next two months he allegedly took Yvonne's life savings whilst never completing the extension as promised and leaving her back yard a “tip”.

She also said she was shown an invoice for around £9,000 worth of materials he claimed to have bought and had stored in his garden which she paid up front. But she said she now realises it was a quotation-meaning the order for materials was never placed.