A Midlands businessman has warned that red tape is a "commercial killer" that is undermining industry.

Doug Squires, of Squires Gear and Engineering, based on Swan Lane in Coventry, said the current high levels of legislation were making it increasingly difficult to run an SME and make money.

Now the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce will be putting the views of businesses across the area to Barry Gardiner, Minister for Competitiveness at the Department of Trade and Industry.

Mr Squires said: " Legislation is wearing us down and preventing us from getting on with our business. The more time we spend form filling, the less contribution we make to the well-being of the business and its bottom line.

"Whilst I am a great advocate of safety within the work place, I find it very frustrating when we have to nominate a trained first-aider to put on a pair of gloves to administer a simple sticking plaster to a small cut on an employee's finger. Red tape is a commercial killer with competition so keen and prices tight.

"In order to compete, we have to work as leanly as we can. Any extra paperwork and unnecessary legislation, more than takes its toll on SMEs and jeopardises jobs and profit."

On Friday, the Chamber's head of policy Annette Fitzgerald is due to meet with Mr Gardiner at a business breakfast at the Government Office for the West Midlands.