Wendy Craig is among a group of 30 to have accused South Devon builder Steven Grant.

At least 30 people have accused a “cowboy builder” of conning them out of more than £440,000 for incomplete construction work over a period of more than 15 years.

The group, most of whom have asked to remain anonymous, told PA Real Life they were scammed out of a total of £442,665 by Devon-based builder Steven Gent, whom they said operated under many company names and aliases.

Mr Gent was first reported to the authorities 15 years ago in 2009 and more than a dozen times since, but Wendy Craig, 66, from Preston, South Devon, said they have been “useless and done nothing”.

Ms Craig called for new measures to register and monitor construction workers as she fears Mr Gent’s case is just a “drop in the ocean” and some builders are being allowed to commit fraud on an “industrial scale”.

Trading Standards have confirmed Mr Gent is currently under investigation after receiving a “number of complaints”.

Ms Craig, who paid Mr Gent £7,000 to renovate her garage in September 2021, described him as a “con artist” who has left a........

© Shropshire Star