Two people have been banned from being a company director for three years after their hospitality firm went bust owing more than £700,000 to HM Revenue and Customs.

Andrew Novak and Clare Novak, both from Rawtenstall, were directors of TFP Hospitality Limited when it went into liquidation in July 2021.

TFP Hospitality Ltd was incorporated in April 2009 and had previously traded under the names The Village Stores (Helmshaw) Ltd until June 2010, and then The Village Stores (Helmshore) Ltd between June 2010 and May 2020.

It operated in licensed restaurants and non-specialised retail, according to Companies House.

In details published by the Insolvency Service, it shows they failed to pay their Value Added Tax (VAT) and pay as you earn (PAYE) tax balances to HMRC when required from 2019.

Mr Novak, 41, resigned in June 2020, while Ms Novak, 44, stayed with the firm until its liquidation in July 2021.

The debt owed to HMRC in VAT by the time the company went under was £435,691, plus £20,403 in surcharges.

In relation to PAYE tax owed to HMRC, full payment was not made by the company between 2019 and 2021, with the company racking up tens of thousands of pounds in arrears.

By the time of liquidation, with interest and penalties included, the amount owed to HMRC by TFP Hospitality for PAYE tax was £231,439.

When the company went into liquidation in July 2021, the total amount owed to creditors by the company was £766,568, of which £736,555 was owed to HMRC.

As a result of this, the pair have now been barred from holding director roles in companies.

Andrew Novak, of Clayton Avenue, Rawtenstall, has been disqualified for three years.

Clare Louise Novak, of Bury Road, Rawtenstall, has been disqualified for three years and six months.

For both, the order came into force on June 8, 2023.

Mr Novak, who now works as a manager at The Firepit restaurant in Blackburn town centre, declined to comment on the ruling.