The owners of UK plastics and packaging company Linpac are looking to divest a number of its assets. The move is seen by some as the start of a long-awaited disposal by lenders of portfolio companies seized since the start of the financial crisis.

Philip Sanderson, head of private equity at law firm Travers Smith, said: "We are definitely starting to see companies that have been taken over by banks coming into play more than before. Banks were protecting their balance sheets by holding on to assets rather than selling at a discount, now they are protecting their balance sheets by selling assets."