The High Court has shut down Trident West Industries Ltd following a public‑interest petition by the Secretary of State for Business and Trade. The order was made at the Insolvency and Companies List on Tuesday 28 October 2025, with the Official Receiver appointed as liquidator. A connected company, Star Solar Ltd, had already entered creditors’ voluntary liquidation on 10 April 2025.
According to the Insolvency Service, the two London‑based operations targeted older consumers with cold calls and doorstep sales, promising non‑existent government refunds to cover solar equipment and maintenance. Investigators logged 80 complaints to Trading Standards and Action Fraud concerning Trident West Industries and Star Solar.
Bank statements examined by investigators show more than £3.1 million was paid into the companies’ accounts between May 2023 and January 2025. Yet only £7,010 was paid back to nine complainants despite total complaints and County Court Judgments exceeding £413,000; the average complainant was 76 years old.
The common director, named at Companies House as Terry Andrew Smith, told investigators he had no control of the companies’ bank accounts and could not explain payments exceeding £1 million to various individuals and businesses. He also refused to identify the third party he said set up Trident West. Those claims sit alongside missed filings and a near‑total absence of basic corporate disclosure.
Public record evidence supports the compliance failures. Trident West’s first accounts, due by 24 April 2025, were not filed, and its first confirmation statement fell due on 6 August 2024. Companies House still listed the company as “Active - Active proposal to strike off” at the time of the High Court hearing, even as the petition progressed in the Rolls Building.
Star Solar moved earlier. Its liquidation commenced on 10 April 2025, with Ian Lawrence Goodhew (IP No. 28472) of Voscap Limited appointed liquidator. A statement of affairs was filed on 24 April 2025, and the registered office was shifted to 20 North Audley Street, Mayfair - the address used on multiple Voscap appointments.
The conduct alleged by the Insolvency Service would also cut across consumer law. For off‑premises sales, consumers have a 14‑day cooling‑off right and, when they cancel, traders must refund within 14 days. Several complainants say refunds promised over the phone never arrived, contrary to the Consumer Contracts Regulations.
The winding‑up petition for Trident West was brought “in the public interest” by the Secretary of State - a route typically used where there is evidence of abuse rather than a single disputed debt. The Gazette lists the case under court number CR‑2025‑006806 with the hearing set for 28 October 2025.
What happens next matters for creditors as much as for defrauded customers. In a compulsory liquidation, the Official Receiver is required to secure records, review bank flows and consider recovery actions and director disqualification where appropriate. That includes potential claims over unexplained payments and any transactions to connected parties.
For Star Solar’s CVL, responsibility sits with the liquidator at Voscap. Creditors should expect the statutory progress report within 12 months of appointment and can request updates on asset realisations and outcome for unsecured claims. Companies House shows the appointment and the filed statement of affairs.
One point likely to attract scrutiny is the mismatch between Trident West’s listing as a domestic building contractor (SIC 41202) and the solar sales activity set out by the Insolvency Service. That inconsistency, coupled with failures to lodge accounts and confirmation statements, will be central to any misconduct assessment.
Stakeholders who paid these companies should file claims promptly. The Insolvency Service has directed enquiries on Trident West to the Public Interest Unit’s Official Receiver, while Star Solar creditors should contact the appointed liquidator. Inside Corporate Insolvency will track the pursuit of the >£1 million in unexplained outflows and any director sanctions arising from these cases.