verbal agreement for labour

[seshadrisweta]

My husband hired a gardener - made a verbal agreement to clearout the garden and remove the rubbish from outside the fence behind our property which is still legally our space. Gardener and Husband agree to pay cash on completion of task. I, the wife is consulted about which areas need clearing but am not present during the entire 'verbal agreement' process or areas to be covered.
At the first instance, gardener claims he finishes job and demands full cash payment. I, the wife, suspects fraud as I do not see any rubbish taken to recycling centre from behind the fence (but did see both men throw rubbish behind the fence). So I pay only half the money after the first demand.
Gardener goes away, threatens husband and comes back demanding the money then and there from me. Police are called to prevent further abuse. Police come and investigate and declare that I wasn't harassed.
The gardener is by this time pretending to clear some of the waste and explains to the Police that all the fresh green stuff behind the fence is not his waste and the police believe him and support his argument. The police then call this a civil dispute and that they cannot help with the issue.
But further to this, the police support the gardener and stay on with the arguments, talk to the husband over the phone and demand complete payment from the wife - claiming that I am still in the property even though I did not make the verbal agreement. Even though I repeat myself reiterating about the fly tipping, the police and gardener demand some kind of payment claiming the clearing of the garden is complete!
The rubbish was not cleared by the gardener and both parties waited for me to bring cash from the machine - and the payment was made in cash.
How could I refuse in such a scenario?
Can I file a complaint against service provided by gardener before payment?
Is this kind of dispute in the police remit?

Thanks for your comments!

[bednobs]

i thought you said the police have already said this is a civil dispute? The police demanded payment????

[NOX]

I was just thinking the same thignb bednobs- if the Police say it's civil it's none of their damned business and I can't imagine in a thousand millenia how the police could demand cash payment from you for the gardener even if it wasn't. A complaint to the police if they did that ought to be your first port of call- theyre supposed to be impartial.

[dzug2]

YOU shouldn't be making nor have made any payment whatsoever - the contract is with your husband