A rogue trader has been jailed for five years after stealing £187,000 from 22 victims across Stoke-on-Trent.
The city council's trading standards team found Kevin Hayes posed as a kitchen, bathroom and building specialist, using false trademarks and logos to appear legitimate.
He took payment from customers without buying supplies or completing work, later blaming stolen tools, van breakdowns and family emergencies for delays.
Hayes fled to Spain in November 2022 before being extradited back to the UK in December 2025. He pleaded guilty to two counts of fraudulent trading and two counts of unauthorised trademark use and now faces a five-year ban on working as a builder after release.
Cllr Amjid Wazir, cabinet member for city pride and enforcement, praised the trading standards team, saying Hayes had ‘wreaked havoc over many lives’ and warning others: ‘You will face serious consequences if you choose to steal and defraud innocent people.’
