BOSSES of employee car ownership scheme Whitechapel have launched an attack on rival suppliers of personal leasing schemes by warning fleets to beware of 'poor imitations'.

The firm issued the warning after research by consulting firm Watson Wyatt and tax consultant Ernst & Young revealed half of employers now offer a choice between a car or a cash allowance.

Nigel Stead, managing director of Lloyds TSB autolease, which acquired Whitechapel as part of FNVH earlier this year, said: 'As demand grows, we will inevitably see many more players purporting to offer organisations a Whitechapel-type solution.

'The basis of any scheme is Inland Revenue approval, but there is no substitute for the experience of setting up these schemes – any company can talk the talk, but few can walk the walk when it comes to implementation.'