A Bradford sports equipment company has been wound up by the High Court after it was accused of misleading customers and failing to supply goods by the Insolvency Service.

Argos Sports, based at the Listerhills Science Park, sold sports equipment through a website, but was the subject of a series of complaints to the Office of Fair Trading. An investigation found no records as to how £1.8 million of income was spent.

Winding up the company, the High Court found “a lack of transparency” in the control of the company, with past and present directors not traced or able to “explain with any clarity the sequence of governance of the company”.

Argos Sports, which had no connection to the leading high street retailer, succeeded Argos Sports Ltd which went into liquidation in July 2008 with liabilities of £1.18m.

Colin Cronin, investigation supervisor at the Insolvency Service, said: “Companies that deliberately set out to mislead customers and fail to produce the goods and services they claim to offer undermine the confidence the public has in business.

“The Insolvency Service regards this as serious misconduct and the action taken in this matter sends a clear and simple message to company directors – if you run a business that seeks to cheat customers and trading partners, you will be closed down.”

The company was officiallly wound up on July 29.