Auditors have qualified the accounts of one of Sir Tom Hunter’s investment vehicles, as the entrepreneur’s losses top £250m.

West Coast Capital Trading and West Coast Capital investments made a combined loss of £253m last year as they wrote down the value of their investments, according to accounts filed at Companies House last week.

Sir Tom has been hit hard by the credit crunch, having invested billions of pounds in the housing market as prices peaked in 2007.

The two companies are among the entrepreneur’s largest holding companies controlling West Coast’s retail and property investments including stakes in Crest Nicholson and McCarthy & Stone.

Daily Telegraph