The British Woodworking Federation‘s (BWF) technical service department is urging members to save themselves time and money by getting in touch early in the case of disputes.

BWF technical manager John Hedgecock said the department was often not contacted until a dispute had got out of hand and “both parties are at each other’s throats and on the verge of going to court”.

He said free technical advice was available and site inspections could be made if necessary. Mr Hedgecock has appeared as an expert witness in court on several occasions.

&#8220We can provide expert witness testimony, but we’d rather hear about thingsearlier on, when we have a better chance of providing a mutually acceptable solution”

BWF technical manager Brian Hedgecock

“We can provide expert witness testimony, but we’d rather hear about things much earlier on, when we have a better chance of providing a mutually acceptable solution,” he added.

A typical problem encountered was window faults being blamed on resin when the cause was actually extractives. Mr Hedgecock said site inspections could usually identify the problem and a solution could be provided.