Solar panel firm to be wound up

A controversial Rochdale-based firm which supplied solar panels is being wound up by The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills (BIS).

SPWEC Ltd, which was a supplier of solar panels and wind turbines, is being wound up by BIS "in the public interest".

The petition to wind up the company was presented on March 15 following an investigation carried out by BIS's Company Investigations Unit.

It did not give any indications as to the nature of the investigation. The Official Receiver has been appointed provisional liquidator of SPWEC Ltd.

A statement from the Insolvency Service said: “The case is now subject to High Court action and no further information will be made available until the petition is heard in the High Court on 25 May 2010.”

SPWEC, of Castleton, Rochdale, was formed in January last year and directors are Lee Cooper of Bury, John Hallisey of Rochdale and Kevin Parr, also of Rochdale.

John Hallisey, previously of Simply Solar and then SPWEC, has set up another company 'Impact Renewables'. The company website states his office is in Leeds but it is understood this is a 'virtual office' and Hallisey is still trading from 858a Manchester Road, Castleton, the same address he traded from as Simply Solar and then SPWEC.

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UPDATE 2 April 2010

Lee Cooper has asked us to point out he was an employee for 3 months, as a web designer, at SPWEC and director for only 3 weeks. He says: "I was tricked into being director by John Hallisey and promptly resigned directorship and left the company as soon as I realised what the company and Hallisey was like. This was in May 2009."