Insolvency Service
Printable version E-mail this to a friend

Mobile home services providers immobilised by Insolvency Service

Three companies that supplied essential services to mobile homes run by a nationwide operator based in Essex were wound up on 15 April 2013 up by the High Court in the public interest following investigations by the Insolvency Service.

Wyldecrest Properties Ltd, Berg Investments Ltd (formerly Wyldecrest Parks Ltd) and EDFM (UK) Ltd provided utilities and maintenance services to the mobile homes run by country-wide operator Shelfside (Holdings) Ltd which is based in Essex.

Wyldecrest Properties Ltd managed and maintained the mobile home parks until mid-2011, Berg Investments Ltd renovated the mobile homes until mid-2011 and EDFM (UK) Ltd, an energy supplier, supplied energy to the mobile home parks until mid-2012.

Investigators were unable to establish who was or had been in control of each company or establish where the companies had traded from. They also found that Wyldecrest Properties Ltd and Berg Investments Ltd had 12 and 14 County Court judgements against them respectively but no bank accounts or other obvious means to pay the liabilities which they incurred. This had the effect of delaying or manipulating creditors payment claims. Furthermore EDFM, (UK) Ltd was also found to have traded with a lack of commercial probity by systematically accruing arrears to primary energy suppliers.

The directors of Wyldecrest Properties Ltd and Berg Investments Ltd failed to cooperate with the investigators and did not maintain, preserve and/or hand over their accounting records as required by company law. All three companies appeared to have been abandoned and did not go through any formal insolvency procedures.

Commenting on the case, Scott Crighton, a Case Supervisor with the Insolvency Service said:

“ The three companies operated in such a way as to avoid their obligations to creditors and disguise who was in control of them. This is unfair on those companies that do operate within the rules.

Attempting to hide such control will not stop the Insolvency Service from investigating such companies and taking them out of the business environment”.

Notes to Editors

1. Wyldecrest Properties Limited was incorporated on 26 May 2009. Its current registered office is at Unit 7, Kilnhurst Industrial Estate, Kilnhurst, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S64 5TH, but has previously been at Axholme House, North Street, Crowle, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, DN17 4NB. The directors of the company have been Mr Waseem Hanif, who resigned in October 2009, Mr Robert Boot who resigned in March 2010, Mr Geoffrey Cheetham who resigned in October 2010 and Mr Racz Istvan.

2. Berg Investments Ltd was incorporated under the style of Wyldecrest Parks Ltd on 3 December 2009. Its registered office is at Unit 22, Stadium Court, Parkgate, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S62 6EW but has previously been at 35-39 New Road, Rainham, Essex, RM13 8DR. The directors of the company have been Mrs Emily Jane Best who resigned in July 2011 and Mr Paul Roberts.

3. EDFM (UK) Ltd was incorporated on 17 February 2011. Its registered office is at Clarendon House, 20-22 Aylesbury End, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, HP9 1LW. The directors of the company have been Mr John Georgiou who resigned in June 2011, Mr Matthew James George who resigned in January 2012 and Mr Roberto Frigé.

4. The petitions were presented under s124A of the Insolvency Act 1986 on 20 February 2013 and the Winding Up Orders were made on 15 April 2013.

5. By virtue of the winding up order all public enquiries concerning the affairs of the company should be made to: The Official Receiver, Public Interest Unit, 4 Abbey Orchard Street, London, SW1P 2HT. Tel: 020 7637 1110. Email: piu.south@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk

6. Company Investigations, part of the Insolvency Service, uses powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS).

Further information about live company investigations can be found on our website at http://www.bis.gov.uk/insolvency/Companies/company-investigation.

7. The Insolvency Service administers the insolvency regime, investigating all compulsory liquidations and individual insolvencies (bankruptcies) through the Official Receiver to establish why they became insolvent. It may also use powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK. In addition The Service authorises and regulates the insolvency profession; deals with disqualification of directors in corporate failures; assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees; provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds; and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available from: http://www.bis.gov.uk/insolvency.

8. Media enquiries should be directed to: Kathryn Montague, Media Relations Manager on 0207 674 6910, Ade Daramy on 0207 596 6187 or Sarah Weaver on 0207 637 6422.

You can now subscribe to get e-mail alerts from The Insolvency Service. To subscribe, go to our website
www.bis.gov.uk/insolvency and you will see a button to “sign up for email alerts and newsletters”, or click on the following link: https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKBIS/subscriber/new.

The Insolvency Service is now on twitter, you can follow us at @insolvencygovuk.

Free, Secure, Compliant UK Public Sector IT Recycling Service