Burton-on-Trent-based IT disposal firm EGO Technology has acquired Bradford-based Ucan Secure IT, expanding its footprint in secure and sustainable IT recycling.

Founded in 2010, Ucan specialises in recycling redundant IT equipment, including laptops, hard drives, mobile phones, and printers. It operates as a zero-landfill organisation serving businesses, schools, and universities across the UK.

EGO Technology says the acquisition strengthens its position in IT asset disposal (ITAD) by integrating Ucan’s recycling capabilities, which focus on recovering valuable materials such as rare earth metals. The move is part of a broader strategy to enhance UK-based IT recycling solutions that ensure compliance and reduce environmental impact.

A Nottinghamshire construction boss who fraudulently removed more than £700,000 from four failing companies and transferred the money to his casino account has been jailed. Wesley Grainger-Smith, 66, was sentenced to two years and four months in prison at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday 28 February. Grainger-Smith had previously pleaded guilty to five counts of fraudulently removing company property at an earlier hearing. The Insolvency Service also discovered around £570,000 in cash deposits paid back to the companies, which investigators believe may correlate with Grainger-Smith’s claim that he paid most of the money back through his gambling winnings. Mark Stephens, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said: “Wesley Grainger-Smith removed vast sums of money from failing companies to fund his gambling at casinos. “He cannot have thought he was entitled to recklessly gamble with company money, or that he was acting in the best interests of the four companies where he said he acted as a consultant.

“Directors, or those acting as directors such as Grainger-Smith, will continue to be prosecuted by the Insolvency Service if they deliberately and fraudulently put money out of the reach of creditors.”

Grainger-Smith’s offending took place between 2014 and 2017 when he acted in the role of director for Eagleport Ltd, Smiths Constructions Ltd, Smiths Construction Services Ltd, and Smiths Construction Specialists Ltd. Grainger-Smith said that while he was not the director of any of the companies, he was able to exert influence over the official directors and withdraw the money with their knowledge. Between April 2014 and May 2015, Grainger-Smith removed £230,810 from Eagleport’s account. A winding-up order was made against the company one month later in June 2015. Grainger-Smith then removed £110,250 from Smiths Constructions between April and November 2015, with the company entering liquidation in December of that year. In the five months from February to July 2016, Grainger-Smith fraudulently transferred £84,600 from the bank account of Smiths Construction Services. A liquidator was appointed for Smiths Construction Services in September of that year. Grainger-Smith’s final fraudulent removal of company funds came between August 2016 and February 2017, when he withdrew £276,390 from the account of Smiths Construction Specialists. Smiths Construction Specialists, as with the other three companies, soon stopped trading after the removal of the funds, with winding-up proceedings beginning in June 2017. In total, Grainger-Smith fraudulently removed £702,050 from the four companies, with the funds going into his casino gaming account. Grainger-Smith was declared bankrupt in March 2017 and was banned as a company director for five years in July of that year as a result of his misconduct at Eagleport. He was disqualified for a further 10 years in June 2019 for his misconduct at Smiths Construction Specialists.

The UK government has announced new measures to increase small business participation in defence contracts, including SME spending targets for the Ministry of Defence and the launch of a support hub to help firms access supply chain opportunities.

With defence spending set to rise to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, the initiative aims to channel more funds to small businesses, particularly outside London and the South East, where nearly 70% of defence expenditure already occurs. In 2023-24, only 4% of defence spending went to SMEs, prompting the government to act.

The support hub will assist SMEs in securing contracts, financing, and workforce training, ensuring that more companies can contribute to national security while benefiting from the investment. The government sees this as a way to strengthen the UK’s defence industry, accelerate technological advancements, and drive economic growth in small towns and regional economies.

In 2023-24, defence spending supported over 430,000 jobs across the UK, with significant increases in government investment in regions such as the East Midlands, Northern Ireland, Yorkshire, and the North West. The government expects these new measures to boost SME participation further and enhance Britain’s defence capabilities.