A man from Snodland has spoken out about his nightmare boiler experience which began when he clicked on a fake Martin Lewis ad.

The consumer rights champion announced last week he was suing Facebook to try and clamp down on unscrupulous firms who use his face and reputation to direct people to their websites.

Michael Coomes, of Pridmore Road, Snodland, saw one of the ads last year, allegedly offering a boiler as part of a scrappage scheme. Details were contained under a picture of Mr Lewis, who founded the Moneysavingexpert website.

He said when a salesman visited, he felt pressure to agree the deal and the resulting boiler installation left a hole in his kitchen ceiling, has been crudely fixed and has caused the pressure around his home to plummet.

He said: “The advert clearly had Martin Lewis on it and I wouldn’t have clicked on it without that. It was advertising what seemed like a good deal, but I’ve come to realise it’s a scam.”

But while the boiler itself is sound, the actual deal involves Mr Coomes repaying more than £5,000 over several years, when an independent expert suggested the parts and installation could have cost around £2,300.

Mr Coomes is making a stand and refusing to pay. He has also involved Trading Standards and is asking the Financial Ombudsman to investigate.

He added: “I’d be most interested to know if anyone else is in a similar situation.”

Mr Lewis says in the last year Facebook has published 50 adverts using his image.