Warkton Roofing, a Midlands-based contractor, refuses to use any batten other than John Brash’s factory graded JB-Red, according to its founder. <br> <br> Bob Lockley, who established the family-run business almost 32 years ago, says: “We have a well-established reputation for the quality of our work and we use JB-Red because it is the best you can get – I always describe it as the Rolls-Royce of battens.” <br> <br> Mr Lockley adds: “Although JB-Red at first appears to be more expensive than other battens, it actually saves us time and money in the long run because we don’t have to spend time grading battens on site, and we also avoid the cost of rejecting sub-standard battens.” <br> <br> John Brash was the first supplier in the UK to offer factory graded battens that comply with the requirements BS5534:2003 +A1: 2010, the code of practice for slating and tiling. The battens are characterised by their red stained finish and “BS5534” stamp, which confirms they have been stringently tested to British Standard.<br> <br>