Working to tame the cowboy builders

Winner of the most intriguing government-ponsored body award must go to the intriguingly named Department of the Environment's cowboy builders working group - a title to bring a whole raft of conflicting notions to mind.

Not to worry, the group belongs to the British Department of the Environment. It is looking to introduce a nationwide kitemark scheme and a mandatory warranty covering all building work in Britain.

All accredited builders would be asked to provide a "financial protection mechanism" to ensure unhappy consumers can receive compensation for shoddy work or bad service.

It would never work here. At the moment, getting a builder to work at any price and with a no-comeback warranty from the customer - to say nothing about tax - requires a near-miracle.