The unusual move follows the presentation of a winding up petition by Canon (UK) Ltd to Drivemaster, due for hearing on January 15, 1997. The petition is understood to involve uninsured loss recovery monies. Mark Fry, partner at the liquidators, said one creditor had petitioned the High Court, supported by others.

Ron Nicholson, managing director of the VBRA, said: 'With the continuing pressure from large self-insured fleets for additional services provided by others and the continuing financial restrictions placed on our members, something had to give, in this case it's the intermediary company. The time has come for organisations to look seriously at the current position, take note and collectively search for a viable alternative for the future.'