AN ELDERLY couple who were ripped off by cowboy builders are overjoyed after four businesses carried out a £13,000 replacement of their roof for free.

Peter and Peggy Heard, who are in their seventies, were distraught when they paid £3,000 for repairs to the roof of their bungalow in Kingsley Lane, Rayleigh, to find the rogue traders they hired had botched the job and disappeared.

But when bosses at Undercover Roofing Supplies, Rayleigh, Acorn Lead Roofing, Benfleet, K&K Scaffolding, Rochford, and Canvey Skip Hire and Recycling heard about their plight, they decided to help.

The companies have just completed a two-week rebuild of the roof without charging for their services.

Mrs Heard said: “They’ve done a fantastic job and we’re really pleased with it.

“The weather wasn’t great on one of the days, but they just got on with it, despite getting drench-ed. It’s marvellous what they’ve done.”

The kind-hearted offer to replace the roof was made by Donna Evett, general manager of Undercover, in April after her workers were called in by the Heards to assess the damage.

Ms Evett was sickened to learn what had happened, and felt compelled to help the couple.

Undercover supplied all of the materials for the roof, while the scaffolding was provided by K&K and skips for the waste came from Canvey Skip Hire & Recycling.

Scott Lipton, from Acorn, carried out the actual building work.

Ms Evett said: “It’s all gone amazingly well.

“There haven’t been any problems and the roof looks really good now it is finished.”