THE director of a heating and plumbing installation repair business which failed with debts of more than £222,000 was disqualified from acting as a company director in the Blackburn County Court on 3 October 2002 for three years.

Kenneth Paul Hacking, 42, of Yew Tree Drive, Lammack, in Blackburn was a director of Heet Engineering Limited which carried on business originally from premises at Cosy Nook, Blackburn until February 1998 by which time it traded from Mr Hacking's home address.

The company was wound up by the court on May 12, 1999 with estimated debts of £222,034 owed to creditors.

The disqualification order prevents Mr Hacking from being a director of a company or, in any way whether directly or indirectly being concerned in or taking part in the promotion, formation or management of a company for the above period.

Matters of unfit conduct by Mr Hacking found by the Court included the following:

That he traded the company to the detriment of the Crown from August 1997 at the latest in that, knowing that the company was insolvent, he failed to ensure that Crown monies were properly provided for and paid over to the relevant departments, £135,551 being outstanding to the Crown as at the date of the winding up order; and

That he caused the company to fail to comply with its statutory obligations to the Crown departments and failed to ensure that statutory accounts were lodged at Companies House on time.