Three Bournemouth directors have been sentenced to a combined 15 years and nine months in prison for orchestrating a £70m tree planting investment fraud in plantations in Costa Rica, which saw more than 3,000 people lost pension savings between January 2008 and December 2015.

The three directors of Ethical Forestry Ltd were sentenced at the Southwark Crown Court on 3 September for fraudulent trading, having pleaded guilty to the offences in January.

Matthew Pickard, 56, was jailed for six years, Stephen Greenaway, 47, was jailed for five years and three months, and Paul Laver, 47, for four years and six months. They were also disqualified from acting as company directors for 10 years.