Sussex Police are investigating alleged fraud in connection with South Coast Construction (Sussex) Ltd (SCC) after more than 30 customers claimed they were scammed out of nearly £500,000 in deposits for building work that was not delivered.
The BBC has heard from 13 customers who said they paid tens of thousands of pounds to SCC, which operated in Dorset, Hampshire, Sussex, and Surrey. Sian and Simon Romsey from Southampton, for example, reportedly paid a deposit of nearly £16,000 in March for a double-storey extension.
The director of SCC, Brandon Harris-Lee, has strongly denied deliberately scamming customers. He stated he did not take money without intending to carry out work and expressed deep sorrow to those affected, attributing issues to significant problems with subcontractors, delays, and cost overruns.
A BBC investigation also found five outstanding county court judgments (CCJs) against SCC, totalling over £37,000. Additionally, SCC was found to have falsely claimed to be insured by Home Improvement Protection (HIP) and certified by Certass, and its memberships with several other accreditation schemes were terminated following customer complaints.