Residents warned about bogus offers

The message from Arun District Council follows reports from residents of telesales calls offering access to grants and great deals on loft or cavity wall insulation.

Some operators have also been using pushy door-to-door sales techniques.

Some companies have reportedly equipped their sales teams with ID cards which wrongly imply they are connected to either Arun district or West Sussex County Council.

Jo Brooks, energy efficiency officer at Arun, said: “Insulating your home is a great way to help you  stay cosy in the winter and there are lots of genuine free offers around.

“But there are so many companies now competing with each other to try to find lofts and walls that still need insulation before grant funding ends that we know it can be very confusing.

“If you are not sure, you can always call the council for some impartial advice or sign up to one of the council-endorsed schemes.

“Literature about these will always have the Arun District Council logo on it and my contact details.

“No council will cold call you about insulation grants and installation services. You have to request a survey visit by contacting us.”

There are a number of genuine government grants which allow homeowners to bring their loft or cavity wall insulation up to modern standards, but these are being phased out.

This had led to companies competing hard for the remaining business and as a result some rogue trading practices had emerged.

Cllr Paul Wotherspoon, Arun’s cabinet member for community safety, added: “Doorstep sellers normally present a number of potential risks. You should never feel you have to sign up to anything on the doorstep.

“Sometimes things can be made to sound hard to resist, but a reputable company would never force you into an instant decision.

“The council’s advice to residents would be to approach home insulation promotions with caution and check the company’s claims are genuine before they sign up to anything.”

For more information contact Jo Brooks on  01903 737755 or email  [email protected]

You can contact your energy supplier for information about insulation improvement grants.

To report any suspicious or unwanted mailings, visitors or telesales calls purporting to offer insulation services on behalf of the government or council grant scheme, call Trading Standards at West Sussex County Council on 01243 642124.