LEGAL COMPLAINT: This story is the subject of a legal complaint from the solicitors for the defendant Joseph Ashford about the accuracy of the Southampton City Council press release on which it is based.

STAFF at two Southampton plumbing companies conned 177 customers out of hundreds of thousands of pounds to fund a lavish lifestyle.

First Active Drainage Ltd and its replacement company Fast Response Maintenance charged customers up to £350 an hour plus VAT to carry out work which experts said was not needed, was done so badly it made things worse or was totally ineffective.

The firms are now set to pay more than £350,000 in compensation to the victims.

Southampton Crown Court heard how between 2009 and 2013 customers had been misled about how the bill was to be calculated, about the need for the work to be done and what had been done.

One customer was even charged more than £18,000 to repair a blocked toilet which experts said could have been done for less than £1,000, it has been revealed.

An investigation which has seen Southampton City Council’s Trading Standards and National Trading Standards working together has also revealed how money was also taken from customers’ accounts without permission.

The court heard how Joseph Rodney Ashford, 34, of Seymour Road, Ringwood, was director of 1st Active Drainage Ltd and Fast Response Maintenance Ltd between 2010 and October 2013 and paid himself £1.5m in three and half years, spending the money on high performance cars including Ferraris, stays in high end hotels in London, jewellery, a race horse and expensive rented property.

In this time the companies earned more than £11m and Trading Standards identified more than 850 customer complaints.

Manager James Francis Dean, 32, of Broadway Lane, Bournemouth was supposed to have dealt with complaints but customers repeatedly told the court that they were lied to and fobbed off.

The court heard how Dean received £650,000 including a bonus payment of £800 a month to buy himself a Ferrari on finance. A forensic accountants report identified that this was all paid for by customers of the two drainage companies.

The news follows a five-month trial at Southampton Crown Court and a four-year investigation.

The companies have now been ordered to pay more than £350,000 in compensation to victims.

Lord Toby Harris, chair of National Trading Standards, said: “The perpetrators targeted and exploited some of society’s most vulnerable people for the sole purpose of making money for themselves.

"This money has rightfully been returned to the victims.

"This case demonstrates that preying on vulnerable neighbourhoods and communities will not be tolerated – and that crime does not pay.”

Ashford was found guilty of converting criminal property to the value of £1,513,467 and has been sentenced to 15 months imprisonment suspended for two years, 200 hours of unpaid work and £184,221.08 paid in compensation.

Dean was found guilty of converting criminal property to the value of £649,821 and was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years, 180 hours of unpaid work and £80,000 paid in compensation.

The following were also found guilty of fraud and sentenced:

Mark Grundy, 39, of Fitzharris Avenue, Bournemouth, nine months jail suspended for two years concurrent on four counts of fraud, 150 hours of unpaid work;

Ryan Sivyour, 26, of Moot Lane, Downton, Salisbury, 15 months jail suspended for two years concurrent on five counts of fraud, 220 hours of unpaid work;

Andrew Ashton, 51, of Kingston Road, Poole, 18 months jail suspended for two years concurrent of five counts of fraud, 220 hours of unpaid work;

Oliver Quinn, 29, of Beswick Avenue, Bournemouth, six months imprisonment suspended for two years concurrent on two counts of fraud, 100 hours of unpaid work;

Jordan Easterbrook, 23, of Gravel Close, Downton, Salisbury, community order for 12 months with unpaid work of 40 hours on one count of fraud;

Craig Watton, 28, of Church View, Aveley, six months jail suspended for two years concurrent on two counts of fraud, 100 hours of unpaid work.

Meanwhile, Justin Brian Perry, 43, of Abbotsfield Close, Southampton, pleaded guilty in December 2016 to conspiracy to defraud.

He was sentenced at a separate hearing to 30 months jail and paid £66,000 in compensation.

Grundy, Sivyour, Ashton, Quinn, Easterbrook and Watton were ordered to pay compensation.

Those who believe they are being targeted by fraudsters are urged to report it to the Citizens Advice consumer service helpline by call 03454 04 05 06.