New figures have revealed the cost of botched work carried out by Moray Council contractors – including £10,000 worth of damage to a home in Lossiemouth.
A number of residents have complained of the mess and damage caused by some council contractors carrying out work in or around their homes in recent times.
On one occasion, a sub-contractor working for a firm which carries out insulation work for Moray Council under a government scheme caused £10,000 worth of damage to a property in Lossiemouth.
This came after workers drilled all the way through external walls into bedroom and bathroom furniture.
Moray MP Douglas Ross previously contacted the council about a “catalogue of errors” following the installation of new smoke alarms at a property in Elgin.
There workmen drilled through electrical cables, which resulted in the hot water supply being cut off and leaving holes in the kitchen and hallway ceilings.
Damage was also caused to carpets, skirting boards and plasterboard, while part of the property had to be re-wired.
Mr Ross said the authority should do its best to “avoid further incidents like this” when appointing outside agencies in the future.
He said: “These botched jobs have been extremely distressing for the residents involved.
“Nobody expects this level of damage to occur during what should be routine work.
“My understanding is that the Lossiemouth dispute in now in the hands of insurers, while the Elgin case has just been a catalogue of errors from start to finish.
“I have written to the council in both cases, and I am pleased to say they have responded constructively and are doing what they can to rectify the problems.
“But given both these incidents involved either contractors or sub-contractors, I am keen to see what the council can do to avoid any further incidents like this.”
Moray Council last night apologised over the “distress” caused by the botched work in Lossiemouth.
A spokeswoman added: “We appointed a contractor through a national procurement framework, designed to ensure the quality of work.
“Regrettably, it has not met the required standard in this instance and damage will require to be repaired.
“We are currently discussing this with the homeowner and the repairs will be carried out as soon as possible.”
Referencing the fire alarm work, she added: “In this instance, the contractor was refused entry by the tenant to undertake remedial work, however we arranged for tradespeople to undertake this.
“We recognise this will have caused distress to the tenant, and sincerely apologise for this.”