A BBC investigation also found five outstanding county court judgments (CCJs) against SCC worth more than £37,000.
CCJs indicate a company has not paid its debts and are red flags to customers and banks that a company could be in financial difficulty and might be at risk of collapse.
The BBC understands 35 customers in the action group paid deposits for work that was not done between February 2025 and May 2026. The group said two customers had work started but not completed.
According to Companies House, the sole director of SCC, Brandon Harris-Lee, 23, was appointed in July 2024.
In a statement, he strongly denied scamming customers, highlighting what he described had been a successful trading history.
He said: “We experienced significant problems on several projects including issues involving subcontractors, delays and substantial cost overruns.
“We were trying to generate income from ongoing and future work while simultaneously funding and completing projects that had significantly exceeded their budgets.
“Regarding the company’s accreditations and insurance arrangements, certain bills and fees were not paid when they should have been as the company’s financial position deteriorated.”
His cousin, Robert Lee, 28, had been a director at SCC between November 2024 and October 2025.
He said in a statement that he “did not accept he deliberately took customers’ money without intending for work to be carried out. We carried out a considerable amount of building work and, to my knowledge, had many satisfied customers during the period I was involved”.
A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: “We are investigating, alongside our partners, a number of reports of alleged fraud in connection with the company South Coast Construction (Sussex).
“Anyone impacted or who has any information is asked to report to Sussex Police online, by calling 101 or using textphone 18001.”
