Poles coming to Britain have become accustomed to headlines praising the industry of their tradesmen. They work hard, do the jobs many Britons can’t be bothered to do and are inexpensive.

By contrast, dodgy British builders, plumbers, electricians, decorators and other home improvement traders are still rife, if new figures are anything to go by. Consumer Direct, the government advice service, received more than 19,000 complaints about home maintenance traders in the first three months of this year totalling almost 80 million pounds — up by almost 6 million pounds on the same period last year.

Complaints about building work totalled 40 million pounds, problems with fitted kitchens reached 14 million pounds, and central heating installation and servicing complaints topped 5.5 million pounds.

Michele Shambrook, operations manager for Consumer Direct, said: “There’s no foolproof way of avoiding problems, but you need to do your homework before you embark on a project, agree clear terms with the trader, and if things go wrong, check your rights and take prompt action.”

Would you employ a Polish tradesman rather than a local?

Do you think the service builders provide is getting worse?  Have you been left out of pocket by a botched job?