Bexhill chimney sweep jailed for defrauding 25 customers

A Bexhill chimney sweep who defrauded 25 people out of almost £30,000 has been jailed.

Adam Reid, 40, of Dorset Road in Bexhill, is the owner of SCS Installations (Safe Chimney Sweep), through which he carried out work on homes across Sussex.

His offending first came to light in December, 2023.

Subsequent investigation uncovered 25 victims, beginning in November, 2022, up until February, 2025.

Reid had previously been a reputable tradesperson, accredited to a number of trade bodies until his memberships lapsed. Despite this, he continued to claim he was fully accredited.

His offending followed a usual pattern of arranging work with customers and taking deposits, with the remainder to be paid upon completion.

Reid would then become evasive and never carry out the work, using excuses such as illness, family illness and his van being broken.

Some of his victims were long-standing customers who trusted Reid, and all were initially understanding of his excuses.

He was arrested on 16 October, 2024, and released on bail, but went on to reoffend. Reid was rearrested on 4 April, charged, and remanded in custody.

Enquiries found Reid was in financial trouble, believed to be linked to excessive gambling and drug use.

He was charged with 19 counts of fraud by false representation and one count of fraudulent trading by a sole trader.

At Lewes Crown Court on Friday, 2 May, Reid pleaded guilty to all charges.

At the same court on Tuesday (17 June), he was sentenced to 30 months in prison and proceedings are underway under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Police Constable Holly Elliott said: “Adam Reid betrayed the trust of his victims, using their money to try and fix his own financial issues.

“What started with one report uncovered the true scale of Reid’s offending, showing a committed offender with no regard for his victims.

“This has been a complex investigation and I would like to thank all involved for helping to bring him to justice.”