TORRIDGE District Council (TDC) is warning residents not to give their personal details over the phone following a spate of bogus callers targeting the area recently.

Insulation companies have been contacting Devon residents about cavity wall insulation and are claiming to work for the ‘local authority’. Residents are being advised that the cavity wall insulation they have installed is not up to standard and they are at risk of ending up with damp problems. This has then been followed up by a claim that they can claim compensation from the company who did the installation.

The cavity insulation guarantee agency (CIGA), who is working with the Trading Standards, has advised that it is not just one company involved. In one instance a customer was charged £800 just for a survey before they could even proceed to making a claim. Residents are being advised that if they experience a problem with their cavity wall insulation then the first point of contact should be the installer who carried out the work, and if no success they should then contact CIGA.

However, TDC continues to work with installers to improve the energy efficiency of people’s homes through the new energy company obligation (ECO) ‘Help to Heat’ scheme. This scheme offers eligible tenants and homeowners grant funding for insulation measures, replacement boilers and electric storage heaters.

Torridge District Council is currently working with two providers in delivering the scheme across the district — all mailings from these companies will show the TDC logo.

For those who think they might qualify for this funding, for more information: ‘C6 Funding’ www.c6funding.co.uk/optin16616475 or ‘Happy Energy’ (Heat Devon) happyenergy.co.uk/heatdevon