A COMPANY linked to a kitchen gangster' has been advertising for business in Warrington.

The kitchen fitting firm has been associated with Vance Miller, an infamous entrepreneur who has run multi-million pound businesses based in Oldham supplying goods made in China.

BBC Cameras followed him round for the 2004 series Kitchen Gangster' and in 2002 he became the first person in Britain to be handed a Stop Now' order by the Office of Fair Trading after supplying kitchens that were not sold as advertised.

He owns Maple Mill in Oldham and the firm Kitchens' operates out of the premises. The premises were raided by more than 130 police in November. Kitchens has recently placed adverts in Warrington.

Chris Webster, aged 27, from New Road in Latchford, alerted the Warrington Guardian after his mother, Barbara Webster, from Richmond Avenue in Westy, became suspicious of the vague answers she got as she questioned how her kitchen would be fitted.

He said a Warrington kitchen fitter refused to fit the kitchen when he found out which company was supply- ing it.

Mr Miller recently released a statement saying he had fled to China. He said that police in the UK had tried to arrest him for kidnap for detaining' a would-be robber.

Juanita Margerison, from Kitchens, said the business is run by managing director Alan Ford, independently of Mr Miller.

When asked if Mr Miller had any formal or informal involvement with the business she said: "I wouldn't be able to tell you, to be honest. He must have some sort of involvement. There must be some sort of dealing with him. But from a commercial point of view I wouldn't say so."

When asked why Mr Miller had asked people to fax complaints about Kitchens to him she said: "He does take a certain amount of responsibility for things like that."

Oldham Council's website says Kitchens is the single most complained about independent trader in the UK with 60-100 complaints a week.

Juanita Margerison said Kitchens made a Freedom of Information Act request which showed there had been only 73 complaints in 12 months.

sbailey@guardiangrp.co.uk