A BUSINESSMAN whose theatre management company left a trail of creditors in its wake has a history of troubled ventures.

Michael Power, joint director of The Entertainment Team (Durham) Ltd, was entrusted with the running of Durham's Gala Theatre by city council chiefs. But his company went into liquidation with debts of more than £700,000 only months after the theatre opened.

Yesterday it emerged that Mr Power, 41, had been the director of a business running a rollercoaster ride at the Trocadero complex in London.

Entertainment Team Rides Ltd is now in the process of liquidation after running up a debt of more than £1m.

The Northern Echo has learnt that Mr Power was also a director of a company managing the £5m Shaping A Nation visitor attraction in Edinburgh which contains hi-tech rides and interactive exhibits.

Shaping A Nation Ltd - set up and partly owned by The Entertainment Team Management Ltd, of which Mr Power is also a director - was replaced by the attraction's owners, Scottish and Newcastle, five months after it opened.

Fiona Hardie, of Lightspeed Fun Ltd, which took over its running in August 2000, said the firm was continuing to receive letters from creditors attempting to contact Mr Power and his company.

The Entertainment Team Management Ltd has now been dissolved following liquidation, while Shaping A Nation Ltd has voluntarily dissolved.

Last night, David Pelham, a former secretary of The Entertainment Team Management Ltd, defended Mr Power, saying: "He is an extremely hard working man, very thorough, and I trusted him."

But Durham City MP Gerry Steinburg said he was "outraged" to learn of the latest revelations and renewed calls for a formal investigation.

Durham City Council chief executive Colin Shearsmith is preparing a statement in reply to a series of questions about the venture put to him by The Northern Echo.