Director Dealings

The company has since carried out a complete review of the business and has taken steps to cut costs and improve efficiencies.

Last week both chief executive Jane McNally and finance director John Boyle made their first purchases of shares in the group, signalling their confidence in a brighter 2010.

McNally bought 88,000 shares and Boyle 86,317 shares at around 23p each.

• Stephen Hannam, chairman of Scottish sausage skin manufacturer Devro, and his wife Jean have bought a total of 11,056 shares at 179p each to increase their holding to 132,596 shares.

• Sebastian Morley, chief executive of Fife-based security business Croma Group, has bought 250,000 shares at 2.3p each. He now holds 23 million shares, just over 12 per cent of the issued share capital.

• Bill Caplan, director of Glasgow-based Aggreko's European and Middle East operations, has bought 5,700 shares at 1,170p each and now holds 20,700 shares.

• Erik Penser, a non-executive director at Newbury Racecourse, has upped his holding with the purchase of 5,000 shares at 550p each. He now holds 289,160 shares.

• Malcolm Burne, chairman of miner Jubilee Platinum, has increased his stake with the purchase of 50,000 shares at 33.75p. He now holds 500,000 shares.

• Mike Turner, a non-executive director at engineering group GKN and the former BAE Systems chief executive, has bought 60,000 shares at 133p each and now holds 160,000 shares.

• Sir Roy Gardner, the newly appointed chairman at social housing maintenance group Connaught, has made his first purchase of shares. He bought 158,808 shares at 314.8p each.

• The wife of Alastair Lyons, chairman of business services company Serco, has bought 15,000 shares at 632p each. The purchase by Shauneen Lyons represents the first investment by the couple in the company which operates London's Docklands Light Railway.

• Christopher Bull, new chief executive at household products manufacturer McBride, has bought 90,000 shares at 188p a share. It was his first purchase of shares in the group.