A Berkshire plumber who failed to pay almost £160,000 in tax and National Insurance contributions over 15 years has been jailed as the result of HMRC's targeted campaign.

Kevin Lay was given a two year sentence at Reading Crown Court for failing to submit self assessment returns or complete VAT returns since setting up his plumbing and maintenance business in 1997.

He was charged with two counts of cheating the public revenue of £158,289, comprising £95,395 in income tax and NICs, and £25,719 in VAT, plus interest. Lay's offences occurred between 1997 and 2011, and the court heard that he had also ignored an HMRC initiative to disclose the unpaid tax he owed.

John Cooper, assistant director for criminal investigation at HMRC, said: 'In 2011, HMRC ran a campaign giving plumbers like Kevin Lay the opportunity to disclose any unpaid tax they owed. He chose not to take this opportunity, and instead found himself subject to criminal proceedings.'

The judge in the case described Lay's actions as 'fraudulent from the outset', and said that because they were carried out over such a long period of time they merited an immediate custodial sentence.

Plumbers who have come forward in response to the Plumbers Tax Safe Plan (PTSP) have already paid over £4m in outstanding tax. HMRC says a further £2.4m has also been recovered from follow-up enquiries.