The BBC's Jane Warr: Government wants to "nail these gangsters".

The decision follows an undercover investigation by the BBC's Crime Squad programme into the activities of rogue builders who target the elderly.

About 100,000 complaints are lodged against rogue builders in the UK every year.

For anyone having building work done, the mains concerns are that the builder does a good job, completes the work on time and doesn't overcharge.

The Crime Squad investigation into a building company based in Leeds found that the company told its employees to make a minimum charge of �3,600 regardless of the the size of the job, and it insisted that customers always paid in advance.

Trading standards officers are calling for a regulatory body that gives them the power to put rogue builders out of business. Mr Howells said he hoped he could grant them those powers very soon.

In July, the government promised to tackle the problem of rogue builders as part of its clampdown on what it describes as "rip-off Britain". Among other things, it's to pilot a national approved list of builders and an insurance backed warranty against faults.