Families left furious after bust builder leaves a trail of dereliction

A BUILDER has been accused of leaving a trail of devastated families and unfinished homes after shutting up shop overnight.

David Ogg, owner of Forth Builders Scotland Limited, is being chased by irate workmen and unhappy customers after abandoning his firm in February, leaving jobs unfinished and tradesmen out of pocket.

A family with a severely disabled son and another with three young children are among those who have been left in the lurch.

Tradesmen say they are owed thousands from Falkirk man Ogg, and his company is now being pursued in court by building giants Jewsons.

Ogg started dissolving his company on February 21 this year – two weeks after his fiancée set up DL Building Solutions, for which he is now working – and is claimed to have continued to tell clients he would work for them after he knew he was going bust.

Susan and Paul Morris, from Alloa, spent years looking for a home suitable for their disabled son Lachlan and used all their savings to pay more than £100,000 for adaptations to the house.

The couple needed special ramps, bathroom facilities and doors for 10-year-old Lachlan, who has quadriplegic cerebral palsy, is unable to walk or feed himself and is wheelchair-bound.

But the 14-week job is still incomplete more than six months later and essentials including a ramp, wet room and his hoist are still missing.

They have now shelled out thousands of pounds to have work finished but have exhausted their savings and are desperate for help.

Before Christmas, a one-week stay in a holiday home to allow builders access to the house turned into nearly six weeks, and after they moved back in the house was still unfinished.

Susan, a business manager, said: “Only the basics were completed. Both our children had bin bags over the openings to their rooms. Our youngest son Donald has had his toys in storage for six months and hasn’t even been able to play in his room because of the filthy mess.”

The 40-year-old said having an accessible home for Lachlan had been “a huge weight on our minds for years”, adding: “With things having taken a further turn for the worse, it’s difficult to describe the level of worry affecting us.”

Paul said contractors have started chasing the couple for payment for jobs they say were paid for months ago, with lawyers’ letters and workmen arriving at their door asking for cash.

Mum-of-three Kirsty Brown said she was left with unfinished work after Ogg’s firm started working on her Alloa home in July 2017.

The 36-year-old said: “We were promised it would be a 14-week project. I was on maternity leave, I had a 15-month-old baby and was keen for it to finish on time, but problems started in August with our doors.

“David said he wanted £2000 in advance, but we’d already paid it. Tradesmen were telling us they weren’t willing to come back because they weren’t paid last time.

“We still have a balustrade missing, and with three young children who can open doors, it’s really dangerous.”

Subcontractors said they were owed more than £20,000 from Ogg for jobs they had done.

One tradesman said: “Davie (Ogg) is due me about £7,000, some from the Morris job. I’ve seen the payment from the Morrises to him for my work, which I’ve not been paid for.”

Mr Ogg repeatedly swore at our reporter when we first approached him, but later denied the allegations.

He said: “There are two jobs which were not completed. However, both jobs were in a habitable condition when we stopped work and neither client has paid for work they have not received.

“I have tried my best to keep the company going over the past year during severe financial difficulty.”

He added that there were “unforeseen problems” which caused delays at the Morris home, and Kirsty Brown’s job stalled after a dispute over payment.

He said: “The decision to wind up Forth Builders Scotland Ltd was not taken lightly and I tried for some time to keep the business afloat however due to not receiving monies due from previous clients this was to no avail.

“I am sorry the two clients were left with incomplete works and it was never my intention for that to happen. However, they have not been left out of pocket.”