Although budget cuts at the UK's Insolvency Service may be affecting its drive to bring fraudulent directors to heel, its list is now increasing at nearly twice the previous rate, according to the accountancy firm of Moore Stephens.

The number of disqualification orders made against criminal company directors in Great Britain jumped by 83% in the year to 31st March, from 65 to 119, as part of an Insolvency Service crack-down. Moore Stephens says that their criminal behaviour includes fraud and the falsification of records, with many of them acting as directors while disqualified.

The 'beancounter' firm also says that the Insolvency Service has seen its budget cut in recent years, leading to fears that rogue directors could go unpunished for serious offences. The organisation has laid off more than a third of its workforce, going from 3,200 staff to 2,000.