A TRADESMAN who was using East Lothian Council’s Trusted Trader logo on business leaflets and on his van, when he was not a member of the scheme, has been prosecuted.

Edward Grey, of East Coast Cladding, was reported to the Procurator Fiscal when it came to the attention of East Lothian Council that he was using the logo but was not a member of the Trusted Trader Scheme, and had never applied to join.

After pleading guilty to claiming to be a signatory to a code of practice when he was not, Mr Grey was fined £200 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court earlier this month.

Derek Gray, Principal Trading Standards Officer, said: “The East Lothian Trusted Trader Scheme was launched to give members of the public confidence when choosing companies to carry out work for them.

"Each of the businesses who are members of the scheme have completed a screening process with the county’s Trading Standards officials checking they meet the necessary criteria.

"This includes independent references from recent customers covering value for money, quality of work and service.

“It was obviously a concern to us that the logo was being used in this case without authorisation.

"This prosecution will show members of the public that we take this scheme very seriously and will always uphold its standards.

"It also gives our members confidence that we will not allow anyone to use our logo without going through the same stringent checks that they have been subject to.

“I’d advise anyone looking to have any kind of work done to visit our web page for help in choosing a reputable, reliable tradesperson or firm.”

For more information on the scheme and to check who is a member, visit www.eastlothian.gov.uk/trustedtrader