A WIDOW has been left heartbroken after a "cowboy builder" left a gaping hole in her garden in a botched £60k extension.

Shelley Weeks, 43, was hoping for a "forever home" for her and eight-year-old son Olly after her husband Wayne passed away from leukaemia aged just 33.

She forked out £60,000 for the extension and landscaping at her home in Coxheath, Kent, using tragic Wayne's pension fund and a short-term mortgage.

But she claims she has been left with a 5×3.5m hole in her garden after work ground to a halt in August 2018.

Shelley has now secured a county court judgment and charging order for £72,391.18 on builder Christopher Hook's home – meaning she will get her money back if he sells up.

'I THOUGHT HE WAS HONEST'

She said: "I know it's cliche to say but it's been a nightmare. I still can’t believe this has actually happened.

"It's been so embarrassing for me. My trust has been completely broken. I thought Christopher was an honest, decent guy who had my best interests at heart but I was a complete fool.

"It's really affected my confidence and my ability to make important decisions or trust people that I don’t know."

Shelley settled on builder Christopher because he had a "personal recommendation" and she was impressed by his work.

She paid £30,000 upfront for the extension, which she admits was a "big mistake", for the new dining room and complete remodel of the downstairs layout and patio.

'LET DOWN'

Shelley said: "I felt like I could trust him, he spoke about his own hatred of 'cowboy builders' and how they have ruined the reputation of a once respected industry."

The mum said she signed a contract and work began in 2018 but she claims it never gained momentum.

Builder Christopher allegedly blamed the delays on hold ups with suppliers, personal issues and a lack of staff.

She has now been left devastated by the delay and feels she has been let down by the legal system as she doesn't have all her money back.

'OLLY DOESN'T DESERVE THIS'

Shelley is also warning others to learn from her mistakes and is calling on the government to introduce clear regulations to govern the building industry.

The mum said: "I've not been as present as I should have been for Olly. I've been very distracted by it all.

"I promised Olly back in 2018 that the following year we would go abroad on holiday, as he has never flown before. But, because of all this we haven't been able to afford to go away.

"Olly is a very sweet little boy and doesn’t deserve to keep missing out on things. He couldn’t even play in the garden last summer as it was still unsafe.

"I'm a very positive person and always try to look on the bright side, but I’m left feeling very let down not just by Christopher, but by the law."

Shelley’s family are raising money on GoFundMe to help restart the project – with 50 per cent of all money donated to charity Blood Cancer UK.

The Sun Online attempted to approach the building company for comment.

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