The scheme involves improving existing flood defences along the River Dart from the mainline railway bridge to the Steam Packet Inn. Other measures include providing a new flood wall within Morrisons car park, raising Ashford slipway and providing flood resilience measures to individual properties and flood gates.

Work began on a section of the scheme which didn’t need planning permission in January but now South Hams District Council has given the rest of the scheme the green light.

Dan Boswell, for the Environment Agency, said:

This is a fantastic milestone for us and the residents we have been working with to help us shape our designs.

Since the construction of the original defences flood risk has changed and in recent years there have been at least 2 occasions – 2008 and 2014 – where some properties in the town have come close to flooding from the River Dart.

We always ask people to stay flood aware. People can check their flood risk online, by calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or by following @EnvAgency and #floodaware on Twitter for the latest flood updates.

Once work is completed on Broadmarsh Industrial Estate, work will move to the areas of New Walk, Throgmorton and the Morrisons car park.

March 2008

Designs for the scheme were drawn up following discussions with landowners and property owners and a public drop-in session in the town in April 2016 and follow-up discussions have been taking place since that time. The scheme is due to be completed by next winter.

The project to improve flood defences in Totnes is separate from the planned work at Steamer Quay to repair the existing flood wall. It is hoped that this work will be completed in April 2017.

Mr Ireland has given an undertaking to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy that he won’t act as a director of a company for a period of 7 years from 21 March 2017.

Scotboys Group Plc was a company set up for wired telecommunication and travel agency activities.

On 22 September 2015, Scotboys Group Plc, with liabilities of £52,106 was placed into compulsory liquidation following a winding up petition lodged by Direct Response Limited. Mr Ireland was the sole director of Scotboys Group Plc at that time.

Following the Liquidator’s appointment, the investigation found as a consequence of Mr Ireland’s failure to co-operate and deliver up the company’s accounting records it was not possible to verify:

• why Scotboys Group Plc failed to meet the legal requirements of a Plc
• the true nature of the company’s trading business and history
• the financial position of the company, at any given time, between incorporation on 07 August 2013 and 22 September 2015 when the company was placed into liquidation
• what became of unpaid goods supplied by creditors totalling £24,958

Robert Clarke, Head of Company Investigation at the Insolvency Service said:

Keeping proper records is a pivotal duty for directors and there is no place in the business environment for those who neglect their responsibilities in this area and thereby cover up the activities of the companies they manage. The lack of records in this case made it impossible to determine whether there was other, more serious, misconduct at Scotboys Group Plc and that is reflected in the lengthy period of disqualification.

This ban should serve as a reminder to any directors tempted to do the same: the Insolvency Service will vigorously investigate you and seek to remove you from the marketplace.

Notes to editors

Scotboys Group Plc (CRO No. SC456211) went into compulsory liquidation on 22 September 2015 with a deficiency to creditors of £52,106. The company was incorporated to provide wired telecommunications and travel agency activities.

Christopher John Ireland is of Dundee and his date of birth is 7 December 1982.

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company
• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
• be a receiver of a company’s property

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

Market investigations are powerful tools that can bring in major changes to make markets work better for consumers and businesses.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) committed, in its Annual Plan, to review the way it conducts them. It took account of experience since they were introduced in the Enterprise Act 2002, and in particular of the CMA’s major investigations into energy and banking, as well as legislative changes that came into force in 2014, reducing their time limit from 2 years to 18 months.

The CMA is proposing the following changes to streamline its existing processes and ensure it meets the shorter statutory timescale:

• Increasing interaction with stakeholders at an early stage in the investigation, including holding formal hearings sooner in the process.
• Assessing potential remedies to improve the market at an earlier stage in the investigation.
• Reducing the number of formal publication and consultation stages – removing the Updated Issues Statement, and combining provisional findings and provisional remedies into a single Provisional Decision Report.
• Allowing market studies (a shorter look at the market which can precede market investigations) to carry out preparatory work when they are likely to lead to a full investigation.
• Introducing the option for the CMA board to give an advisory steer on the scope of the market investigation, which is run by an independent group of CMA panel members.

The CMA considers that these proposed changes will enable it to carry out its market investigations more quickly, without reducing their effectiveness. It also believes they will preserve a fair and robust process and independence of decision-making throughout, which is central to the regime. And it thinks that earlier discussion of possible remedies to any competition problems uncovered should ensure a fuller discussion with all parties involved, ensuring the most effective remedies possible.

The document outlining the proposed changes and the resulting changes in the CMA’s published guidance, is available on the consultation page.

Interested parties are encouraged to respond to the consultation, which will run until 2 May 2017. Responses should be submitted by email to marketinvestigations-review@cma.gsi.gov.uk or by post to: