JOHN GUNN, the entrepreneur, will bring a new vehicle to AIM this month — with plans to invest in toxic-waste clean-up.

Vert-Eco is backed by Nick Leslau and Nigel Wray, who have made multi-million-pound fortunes in the property sector and stock market.

Vert-Eco will invest in environmental services and technologies that can be used to clean up toxic waste. The company will help bring new technology to commercial production. Durlacher has been appointed to advise Vert-Eco, which will raise £3m when it floats.

Gunn is best known for building British & Commonwealth into a financial-services empire in the 1980s. But the group collapsed in 1990 and Gunn has spent almost a decade clearing his name — eventually being exonerated by a judge who overturned the main criticisms of a DTI report.

Gunn, who will be Vert-Eco’s non-executive chairman, has invested in a series of businesses developing green technology, including Turbo Genset.

He has also invested in Ceres Power, a fuel-cell company that is expected to float next year, and Azure Dynamics, a developer of hybrid engines for commercial vehicles.

Meanwhile Eserv Global, a leading Australian telecoms company, is planning to seek a dual quote on AIM. The firm, which is worth A$35m (£13.5m), has appointed Numis to act as broker. Sir Ron Brierley owns 20% of Eserv Global through Guinness Peat.