Second solar firm in two days goes bust, blaming UK government policy

Demise of Mark Group and Climate Energy prompts furious attack from green campaigners but government blames firms' commercial decisions

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has denied that subsidy cuts were responsible for the collapse of two solar panel installers in as many days, blaming the company failures on "commercial decisions".

Amid warnings of a crisis in the green energy sector following the failure of Mark Group and Climate Energy and a forecast that 20,000 solar jobs could eventually be threatened, the DECC defended aid cuts for solar and energy efficiency.