Angry investors from across the UK have launched a legal battle to recover hundreds of thousands of pounds they say is owed to them by a Bradford property agent.

Twenty landlords and investors say Linda Watts and her company Partners Property Management (PPM) owes them more than £250,000 in unpaid deposits and commissions on apartments in the city and rental income from properties.

The group has jointly engaged top Leeds-based lawyers McKay Law to draw up a dossier of evidence against Mrs Watts, whose company had offices at various locations around the city.

The dossier is being considered by the Department of Trade and Industry's Companies Investigation Branch and West Yorkshire Trading Standards are also dealing with a number of complaints.

Investors allege PPM has not returned deposits and finder's fees paid to secure property in new developments in Bradford and Yorkshire.

Property owners using PPM to manage their properties have complained it was not passing on rent money collected from tenants.

Other parties which have provided consultancy and other services to PPM are also battling to retrieve their cash.

Solicitor Clinton McKenzie, of McKay Law, said: "In return for our clients paying a reservation fee of £1,000 and a finder's fee they were told they would secure the properties.

"Our clients have been informed that Linda Watts and PPM have no right to market some of these properties. In some cases the developers have never heard of her."

Bill Liddy, from Gosforth in Newcastle, who paid £5,000 to reserve two apartments in Eastbrook Hall, said: "A number of people who've made substantial investments have asked for their money back but haven't been paid."

Pontefract-based Asquith Properties discovered PPM was selling apartments in their development at Stonegate House, Bradford without their permission and tried to block her.

Asquith's Russell Baker said that Mrs Watts appeared to be selling the same properties several times to different waves of investors, each time picking up fresh commissions.

Repeated requests to Mrs Watts and her associates in recent weeks by the T&A for a response to the growing number of allegations have had no response.

A spokesman for Mrs Watts said she was in hospital being treated for stomach pains.

In an interview with Mrs Watts in May, she denied any wrongdoing and insisted: "I dispute the amounts and I do dispute the fact that we're refusing money to people. The properties are there for the investors and they aren't entitled to their money back."

Simon McKay, a partner in McKay Law, said: "We're currently co-operating with the DTI investigations. We're also taking a number of actions against Linda Watts personally for breaches of the Companies Act in relation to issuing company cheques."

Mr McKay said the firm had engaged a specialist barrister to help pursue the case.

He said Mrs Watts had proved elusive and difficult to track down over the past few months.

"The last time we had contact with her we had to stake out her office and we had to approach her personally."

Mrs Watts told some investors earlier this month that PPM was in receivership but both Companies House and the Insolvency Service told the T&A this was not the case.

However, Brendan Gilfoyle of Leeds-based insolvency specialist P&A, was due to meet with directors of the three companies linked to Mrs Watts today.

He said two of the three companies - PPM Ltd and PPM Sales - had now ceased trading but a third, PPM Investments was still operating.

The offices of the companies appear to be closed with no answer on any of the telephone numbers this week.

DTI minister and Bradford South MP Gerry Sutcliffe said: "If a company goes into administration or receivership they have to report to the Secretary of State within six months and they can then be referred to the Companies Investigation Branch which can recommend suspensions or the disqualification of directors."

During a lengthy investigation by the Telegraph & Argus, a string of investors have spoken of their frustrating attempts to retrieve their investments and cheques which have bounced.

One landlord, Steve Pugh, a married student from Halifax, is owed several months of rent by PPM. He said: "None of us can get answers to our questions. The branch staff cannot, or will not, give us any answers and senior management are continually unavailable.

"As a full-time student at the University of Bradford I am relying on this income to subsidise my studies.

"If all PPM's landlords are being affected in this way, it is possible PPM owe hundreds of thousands of pounds."