The High Court has ordered four companies owned by a Hayes businessman into liquidation after they were allegedly involved in a £3.3 million land-banking scam.

Christopher Shipton, of Baston Road, was the director of Complete Building Systems Limited, Rawtenstall CBS Limited, Evesham CBS Limited and Hounslow West London Limited.

The companies, formerly based at The Coach House and Commercial House in Bromley, were accused of misleading the public into buying overpriced plots of land after an investigation by the Insolvency Service (IS).

Investors bought each patch of land for between £4,500 and £15,000, raising at least £3.3 million.

Of this £1.4 million was paid out in commission and £627,000 directly to Mr Shipton, the IS said.

Chris Mayhew, company investigations supervisor at the IS, said: "Investors were bullied and lied to by these rogue companies and their representatives to persuade them to invest in plots of land of negligible value.

"In some cases particularly vulnerable investors, some suffering some form of physical or mental disorder, were cynically targeted and ripped off."

People were told unless they bought more land their existing plots would be turned into flower beds for which they would be charged maintenance, the IS said.

Ordering the companies into liquidation under the grounds of public interest, chief bankruptcy registrar Stephen Baister said: "The plots of land were largely sold by cold-calling consumers and by the means of marketing material containing the usual misleading information.

"The promises seem to have been false. He [investigator] also describes the usual representations of short-term returns if the punters invested."

The petitions to wind up the four companies were submitted in July 2014, and were initially opposed.

But on December 5 last year Mr Shipton decided not to defend the petitions.

This was said to be on financial grounds and not an admission of the allegations.

A spokesman for the IS said: "I will confirm that the disqualification of a director does not necessarily mean that the Insolvency Service’s investigations have ended.

"If our investigations reveal anything of a criminal matter, these will be referred to our parent department for prosecution.

"We can’t comment on individual cases as to whether further sanctions are planned as that might prejudice an outcome.

"As such, I cannot confirm whether such action is planned in the particular case in question."