Colin Ridley
Introduction
Colin Ridley is a 72-year-old builder from Anstey in Leicestershire who was sentenced to six years and six months in prison at Leicester Crown Court on Friday, 6 November 2026, after previously admitting one count of participating in a fraudulent business. Between 2019 and 2023 he accepted large sums of money for building projects across Leicestershire and Derby that were, in the words of Leicestershire County Council, “poorly completed, significantly delayed or never finished”. Ten households lost a combined £377,844 before counting the cost of repairs.
Background Information
Ridley, of Charnwood Road in the village of Anstey, took on domestic building work for householders over a roughly four-year span. The county council’s trading standards team opened its investigation after a complaint about “dangerous and substandard work” carried out on a domestic extension, and further inquiries uncovered a pattern of similar complaints from homeowners in Desford, Glenfield, Leicester, Blaby and Derby.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Convicted and sentenced for a sustained builder fraud.
The investigation found that victims were given “repeated excuses” for Ridley’s lengthy absences from their sites, were pressed for additional payments beyond the agreed quotations, and were met with refusal when they complained or asked for money back, the council said. Evidence showed he also pressured victims into withdrawing cash to pay him, and accepted payments that were intended for materials and subcontractors without passing the money on.
Trading standards officers documented recurring defects across the projects: “inadequate foundations, uneven floors, poor brickwork, faulty roofing, substandard joinery and repeated failures to follow architects’ plans”. Several homeowners had to spend thousands of pounds correcting the defective work, and two properties required what the council described as “major demolition and complete reconstruction”. In total, ten victims suffered financial losses of £377,844 — a figure that excluded the significant costs of rebuilding and remedial work.
At Leicester Crown Court, Ridley admitted one count of participating in a fraudulent business and was sentenced to six years and six months in prison. The court also made him subject to a criminal behaviour order preventing him from working as a builder.
Public Reaction and Consequences
Gary Connors, head of regulatory services at Leicestershire County Council, said: “Colin Ridley’s actions caused significant financial loss, distress and disruption to families who simply wanted building work carried out on their homes.” He added: “Instead, they were left with unfinished projects, dangerous defects and, in some cases, the enormous expense of having to rebuild entirely.”
The case was publicised by the council and reported widely by local and national media after sentencing, with the scale of the losses — more than a third of a million pounds from just ten households — drawing particular attention.
Current Status
Ridley, 72, began serving his six-years-and-six-months sentence after the 6 November 2026 hearing. The criminal behaviour order barring him from working as a builder remains in force alongside the prison term.
Impact on Their Career/Life
The conviction and the criminal behaviour order together end Ridley’s building career: he is barred from working in the trade that generated the fraud, at an age where a six-and-a-half-year sentence will consume most of his remaining working life. The victims’ losses, by contrast, are only partially measured by the £377,844 figure, which leaves out what they spent putting their homes right.
Sources
- BBC News, “Rogue builder jailed over £377,000 fraud.” source