OVER 300 energy employees in Chippenham breathed a sigh of relief after plans for a hostile takeover of Good Energy were abandoned by eco-warrior and Forest Green Rovers owner Vince Dale last week.

The green energy supplier, which generates and provides renewable energy to hundreds of thousands of people, were locked in a ferocious power struggle with the 55-year-old, who also owns rival firm Ecotricity, after he amassed a major 25.3 per cent stake in the company.

Board members of Good Energy, which is based in Monkton Hill, accused Mr Dale of trying to undermine their firm for nearly two decades after he demanded a meeting for a vote on his and his fellow Ecotricity executive Simon Crowfoot's appointment to the board.

In a letter to investors, Good Energy chairman John Maltby said: "There is no guarantee that any representative of Ecotricity could ever put the interests of other Good Energy shareholders above their own and those of Ecotricity, particularly when Dale Vince is the sole recorded shareholder in Ecotricity.

"We believe Ecotricity could use their board seats to continue their attempts to disrupt the business of Good Energy, negatively impacting our shares. We do not believe this would be in the best interests of all shareholders."

However, after a week of squabbling, the football boss conceded defeat and his request for a shareholder meeting to vote on the proposal has been shelved indefinitely following concerns over conflicts of interest.

It is not the first time that the two companies have been at loggerheads though, with Good Energy chief executive Juliet Davenport and her husband Mark Shorrock's clashing with the vegan in the past with their feud dating back to the company's inception nearly 20 years ago.

Stakeholders at Good Energy have since been celebrating following the adjournment of the general meeting though, which was due to be held at the Town Hall yesterday (Wednesday).

In a statement published on Tuesday, Mr Maltby said: "We seek a constructive dialogue with Ecotricity, as we do with all of our shareholders, and see this as a positive step. We hope very much that we can put this matter behind us and would like to thank our customers, shareholders, and other stakeholders for their support."

The company, which promotes and rewards green living, also works closely with the local community and recently the members of the team swapped their desks for a pair of gardening gloves for a week's worth of cleaning the Dyrham Park Estate in celebration of their five-year partnership with the National Trust.