TWELVE independent traders from around Oxfordshire have teamed up to tackle cowboys.

The tradespeople, all connected to property, set up inspiredtrades.co.uk after seeing customers struggle to find good workers.

Founder Jim Gettings, who runs Kingston Bagpuize-based kitchen fitters J&S House of Design, said: “Most customers buying a kitchen are having major renovations or an extension and often say they can’t find a good plumber, electrician or builder.”

“I used to hear stories about builders who vanished without finishing, or hadn’t done the job properly.”

He met the others through Oxford networking group BNI, which meets monthly at the Four Pillars Hotel in Sandford.

They include Kidlington-based electricians Isis Electrical, carpet cleaning firm Grimebusters, Cowley plumbers rb Gas, designers Clarify Interiors, Creations painting and decorators, Kirtlington-based Neil Clarke Architecture, SP Carpets and Flooring in Kingston Bagpuize, mortgage broker Taylor Cox which has offices in Bicester and Witney, Didcot landscape gardeners Me, My Spade and I, Right Letting Agents and Bicester-based alarm fitters Safeguard Secure Solutions.

Mr Gettings add: “We are all individual tradespeople who have worked together very successfully and can recommend each other.

“The client chooses whether to go direct to the tradesperson we suggest, or sometimes they prefer the whole thing to be sorted for them as a whole job, which we’re also happy to do.”

Richard Bayliss, of rb Gas, said: “We have worked with each other a lot and trust each other to do the best job.”

Chris Carey of Isis Electrical added: “It’s good for us and good for the customer.”