I am Stuart
I am a locksmith based in Sheffield, and I work for myself. That matters more than it sounds. When you ring the number on this site you get me, and the person you speak to is the person who turns up at your door. There is no call centre in between deciding which subcontractor is nearest.
I started doing this because lock problems are the kind of thing that happens to people on their worst day, and a lot of the trade has built a business model around exactly that. Somebody standing outside their own house in the dark will agree to almost anything, and there are firms who rely on it.
So I do the opposite. I publish what I charge. I tell you the price before I set off rather than when I am standing in your doorway. I try to open your lock without breaking it, because that is cheaper for you and it is the actual skill of the job. And if I get there and it turns out to be a different job from the one we discussed, I stop and tell you before I carry on.
Before this
I served before I did this. Trust A Veteran check service records before they list anybody, so if it matters to you, you can look me up rather than take my word for it. It does not make me a better locksmith on its own, but it is the sort of thing people like to know about whoever is coming to their door.
Check me out before you let me in
Locksmithing is not regulated in the UK, so anyone can say any of this. Here is what I claim, what it actually means, and how you can check it.
- NCFE Level 3 Competence in Locksmithing and uPVC Repair
- A certificated Level 3 award, achieved through MPL Locksmiths Training. It is an NCFE Customised Qualification rather than a regulated one, because no regulated locksmith qualification exists in the UK. The certificate number below is real and checkable.
- How to check: Certificate 54533116, achieved 24 August 2026. Ask and I will show you it.
- City & Guilds accredited training
- I completed MPL’s Specialist Locksmith Training Programme, which is a City & Guilds Accredited Programme. City & Guilds accredits the training itself. It is not a locksmith qualification, because there is no such thing in this country, and anyone telling you they are "City & Guilds qualified" as a locksmith is stretching it.
- How to check: Candidate VWE7141, completed 14 August 2026, signed by MPL.
- Trained in non-destructive entry, uPVC repair and boarding up
- The training covered non-destructive entry, destructive entry, uPVC repair, adjustment and replacement, plus a separate boarding course. That is why I try to open your door without breaking it, and why I can secure your property after a break-in.
- How to check: Three MPL certificates, 14 and 18 August 2026.
- Public liability insurance, £1,000,000
- If something goes wrong at your property while I am working there, you are not the one out of pocket.
- How to check: Ask to see the certificate and I will send it.
- Veteran owned
- I served, and I am listed on the Trust A Veteran directory, which verifies service before it lists anybody. It is not a locksmithing credential and I am not presenting it as one, but you can check that it is true.
- How to check: Listed on Trust A Veteran. See the listing.
- Sheffield based, working for myself
- You get me, every time. Not a call centre, not a subcontractor, and not somebody different from the person you spoke to on the phone.
- How to check: Ring the number on this site and you will speak to Stuart.
- Basic DBS checked
- A criminal record check, so you know who is standing at your door. Ask to see it, and ask any locksmith who will not show you why not.
- Not yet published. Awaiting the certificate from Stuart, and this claim should not go live without it.
What I am not going to tell you
I am not going to tell you I am police approved, because there is no such thing and anybody who says it is either mistaken or hoping you do not know. I am not going to tell you I am licensed, because locksmithing is not licensed in this country. And I am not going to promise you I will be there in thirty minutes, because I do not know where I will be when you ring or what the traffic is doing.
What I will do is tell you honestly when I can get to you, and if that is not soon enough I will say so rather than leaving you waiting. Here is how to check anyone in this trade, me included.
Get hold of me
07707 981806. You will get me, or you will get my voicemail and I will ring you back.