'Builders wrecked my house and cost me £75,000 - then police arrested me'

A woman has claimed that a leaky, windowless extension, which she paid builders £75,000 to complete, has "completely destroyed" her life.

Andrea Calland, 59, from Wavertree, used the money she inherited from her mum, who passed away in April 2021, to pay for the work. She shared how everything "seemed fine" initially, but alarm bells started ringing when the building company demanded thousands of pounds more from her. Andrea's mum passed away during the Covid pandemic, and it wasn't until January 2023 that she was able to clear out her house and sell it.

After selling the house,she inherited the money, some of which she used to hire a cleaner to maintain her mum's grave. She recalled: "The grave cleaner came to my house to collect the money that I owed him and while he was there we got talking about me wanting an extension on my house. He recommended a builder to me."

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Andrea hired the builder recommended by the cleaner and after some "back and forth" discussions over contracts, plans and payment, it was agreed that she would pay the company £75,000 to build a new extension at the back of her property, complete with a downstairs shower room. She said the plans met her accessibility needs, as she's had spinal problems over recent years.

The work reportedly began in October, with the promise that they'd try to have the extension finished before Christmas. Andrea initially paid £25,000 for materials after receiving a "legit" invoice with the company bank details on, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Shortly after work commenced, Andrea claims she was requested to provide another £25,000 for additional materials. Without suspicion, she handed over the cash.

Nevertheless, following Christmas, Andrea began to suspect something "wasn't quite right."

She explained: "They came back to the job and told me they'd need the rest of the money.

"I thought if that is what I need to do to get the job finished, then I'll pay it and transferred another £5,000. Then they asked for another £7,500 then another £7,500 and then £5,000. In total they'd had £75,000 off me - but none of the materials were showing up.

"When I asked when things [materials] were coming he kept saying they will be here soon, but things didn't feel right. I started phoning around the supply companies to find out when things were coming and they told me the materials hadn't been ordered. That sent alarm bells."

Upon challenging the company, she alleges the workmen "packed their tools up" and never returned to her home after one "screamed" at her.

At this stage, the contractors had been labouring on the extension for five months, according to Andrea, yet the annexe was "leaking, flooding, still didn't have windows and had scaffolding surrounding it."

Andrea claims she made numerous attempts to get in touch with the company, asking when they would return to finish the job. However, she was told they wouldn't be returning due to her being "aggressive" towards them.

She insists that the only interaction she had with them was offering tea and coffee before they abruptly left.

In a shocking turn of events, Andrea found herself blocked by the building company on both her phone number and email address, leaving her unable to reach out to them. She decided to report the incident to the police.

Six months later, she alleges that Merseyside Police showed up at her property, read her rights and took her into custody at Belle Vale police station.

A spokesperson for Merseyside Police confirmed: "We can confirm that a 59-year-old woman was arrested in October 2024 following an allegation of harassment.

"Enquiries were carried out into the report and it has been decided that no further action will be taken against the woman.

"We also received a report that the same woman had been the victim of fraud, but the incident is a civil matter and she has been advised and signposted to third party support."

The whole ordeal has been a living nightmare for Andrea, who says it has "completely destroyed" her life. She revealed: "It's been very horrible, it's been very stressful, I've had a heart attack because of the stress.

"I was left with a half finished extension and had to phone someone else to finish the job gradually, as and when I could afford to get bits done. I've spent another £15,000 getting things finished."

She expressed: "They cost me thousands, it's been so scary, my life, happiness, has all been destroyed over the last two years."

Further adding: "This whole thing has changed me as a person, I've lost nearly a stone in weight. My confidence and trust is at rock bottom, it caused me to have a heart attack. It's upset me big time. I just don't want anyone else to be in this position."