A FORMER Burnley schoolgirl has swapped the Big Apple for the North West as she bids to help householders avoid cowboy traders.

Former Walshaw High pupil Andrea Ogunkoya, who moved to East Lancashire from her native Nigeria aged 10, is the brains behind Trade Man's World.

The new venture, which the 34-year-old runs from her new base in Stockport, is said to rely on the experience of Polish plumbers and Croatian carpenters.

Formerly Andrea rose to the rank of operations vice-president for a major self-storage company in New York.