BOSSES of a solar panel company which unlawfully plagued people with more than 75,000 nuisance sales calls have been disqualified as directors.

Solartech North East, based in Stockton, made the tens of thousands of calls to people who had chosen not to receive them, in breach of company regulations.

The company has now been fined £90,000 and directors Christopher Snaith, 51, and Jeffrey Hall, 40, both of Stockton, have been banned from holding directorships for six years.

It follows a Trading Standards and Information Commissioners Office (ICO) investigation following complaints made by customers and other individuals.

It found that during a seven-month period in 2017 Solartech North East made almost 75,000 unsolicited sales calls to callers who were registered with the telephone preference service.

The ICO issued Solartech with a £90,000 fine for serious breaches of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, which remained unpaid when the company went into liquidation in February.

And last month the directors did not dispute their company had made the nuisance calls, and agreed to the disqualification.

The pair now cannot, without the permission of the court, form, promote or manage a company, directly or indirectly, for six years.

Jane Knight, Deputy Head of Insolvent Investigations from the Insolvency Service, said: “Making tens of thousands of unsolicited marketing calls to people who had specifically opted out from receiving them is unacceptable trading practice.

“The disqualifications mean Christopher Snaith and Jeffrey Hall will not be able to run a limited company for six years and will protect the public from unwanted sales calls.”

David Clancy, ICO Enforcement Group Manager, said: “By partnering with the Insolvency Service in cases like this we are disrupting the ruthless operations of directors of companies plaguing the public with illegal nuisance calls.”

Solartech North East originally operated as a renewable energy company, selling and installing high-quality solar panels to the domestic market in the UK.

Initially, the company was successful but due to legislative changes in 2016, it became less cost-effective for the homeowner to install solar panels.

This impacted on Solartech North East’s success and in response, they diversified into installing boilers and other home improvement services before succumbing to economic pressures and entering into Creditors Voluntary Liquidation in February 2019.

The liquidation triggered an Insolvency Service investigation into the company’s activities.