A former South Gloucestershire Councillor and builder has been fined a total of £11,689.18 after breaching building regulation rules.

Ben Walker, 40, of Ferndene Road in Bradley Stoke was found to have ignored building regulations and carried out unsatisfactory work at a property in Yate.

Walker had been hired to extend the Yate property, assuring the homeowners he could deliver the project within their budget before Christmas 2017.

After an extended period of time, work slowed and little progress was made despite payments having already started.

Another builder alerted the council's building control team about the extension, they found that no application had been submitted for the work.

An investigation in to this found that a number of serious failures were found with the construction, with these requiring significant remedial work to ensure the safety of the building.

The case was heard at Bristol Magistrates Court on Wednesday, January 16.

Walker was convicted of five charges worth £2000 each.

He was then ordered to pay £1519.18 for the council's costs and a further £170 victim surcharge fee.

Cllr Paul Hughes, Cabinet Member responsible for Communities and Tourism, said: “This case demonstrates the importance of ensuring the correct route is followed when undertaking any building work.

"Construction is a complex arena where unscrupulous individuals can take advantage of customers’ unfamiliarity with legislation, and profit from cutting corners.

Walker is also a former councillor that represented the Bradley Stoke ward in South Gloucestershire.

He represented the Conservative party right up until 2012 when he defected and joined UKIP.

Walker himself revealed that he was in the running to chair the council before leaving the Conservatives.

He left his position on the council in 2015 and stood in the Bradley Stoke constituency as UKIP candidate in the same year.

In 2017, he went on to launch a leadership challenge for UKIP which proved unsuccessful later that year.