ICS backs founder threatened with ban

Peter Hall, chairman of Industrial Control Services, yesterday won the backing of his company against official moves to disqualify him as a director.

Mr Hall was a non-executive director of Team Lotus, builders of the Formula 1 cars of the same name, until the company crashed just over two years ago. Last September, the Department of Trade and Industry issued proceedings against Mr Hall and five other former Lotus directors under section six of the Disqualification of Company Directors Act 1986.

The others are Peter Timothy Collins, James Anthony McDougall, Peter Godfrey Wright and Alan George Curtis. If the civil proceedings succeed, they could face disqualification periods of between two and 15 years.

But a statement yesterday from Industrial Control, an electronic safety products company founded by Mr Hall in 1966, said that, after taking legal advice, he believed he had a strong defence to the action and would be defending the case vigorously. "The board of ICS is appraised of the situation and is fully supportive of Peter Hall," the company added.

Mr Hall was unavailable for comment yesterday, but Deirdre Walker of his solicitors Norton Rose said Nigel Davis, a QC, had advised that he had a very strong case. No date for a trial had been set, but they were keen to get on with it as quickly as possible, she added.

TLL Continuation was incorporated in November 1989 and went into administration in September 1994. It has no connection with Team Lotus Holdings, subsequently established by David Hunt, brother of racing driver James Hunt, to continue the marque.

The directors of TLL Continuation are thought to have blamed lack of sponsorship for the demise of the company.