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A cowboy builder has been jailed for a second time after conning seven families out of more than £147,000.

Lee Slocombe, 40, of Delhi Street, St Thomas, Swansea, was given a five-year and five-month sentence at Swansea Crown Court on May 9.

Originally from Abertridwr, Slocombe and his Swansea-based business Kamlee Builders defrauded families out of huge sums of money for building work that was either below standard, not needed or not finished.

One family paid out more than £78,000 for work and to fix the issues caused by Slocombe – leaving them having to take out loans to pay off the bill.

Another couple paid more than £18,000 for work which a chartered surveyor testified would have normally cost less than £600 and taken an hour to complete.

Complaints against Slocombe’s company, made between 2018 and 2020, were investigated by Swansea Council’s Trading Standards team, leading to charges being made against him.

Trading Standards were made aware after a family were quoted £1,000 for work to address damp, which later escalated into £60,000 .

Slocombe pleaded guilty to participating in a fraudulent business.

As well as a prison sentence, Slocombe was also given a criminal behaviour order, banning him from ever working in building, maintenance or gardening in the UK again.

He was also disqualified from being a company director for eight years.

In 2015, he was jailed after defrauding customers out of £43,000.

That same year, Newport Crown Court was told how Slocombe started work on properties only to ask his victims for more cash to get the job done. He would then fail to return – leaving homes like building sites and requiring further work to put right.

Slocombe also featured on Channel 5’s Cowboy Builders at the time.