Warmfront, JJ Crump and South Hover Insulation Companies and products are being investigated over allegations they conspired to milk the Energy Firm Responsibility 4 scheme by submitting claims for jobs the set runt or no work used to be performed.
ECO4 is the chief’s flagship energy effectivity programme aimed at cutting gasoline poverty and reducing carbon emissions.
SFO investigators, working with the National Crime Company, arrested four folks on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud for the length of coordinated searches at six sites across the UK.
Officers searched four properties in Cannock, Wolverhampton, Chilworth and Southwell, alongside with commercial premises in Cannock and Killamarsh.
The watchdog has now launched a public allure for facts relating to to ECO4 initiatives performed between 2022 and 2024 by Cannock-basically based mostly Warmfront, Sheffield-basically based mostly JJ Crump and Fareham-basically based mostly South Hover Insulation Companies and products.
SFO director Graham McNulty mentioned the scheme used to be intended to motivate households end warm and nick bills, but investigators suspect in many cases runt or no work used to be done. He mentioned the agency used to be notably desirous to hear from installers and assessors taking into consideration the contracts.
The investigation forms part of Operation Henhouse, the UK-huge anti-fraud marketing campaign. The SFO added that Warmfront used to be sold in 2024 and now trades beneath unusual management no longer connected to the investigation.
