Director Dealings: Atlantic Coal chiefs mine a rich seam in shares to dig up fresh interest

The 2m it secured late last year is being used to look for new opportunities back home as well as expand production at its Pennsylvania opencast facility.

Shares in the London-headquartered group, one of the smallest companies on AIM, have dipped over the past year but four directors clearly believe they represent good value and have increased their stakes.

Non-executive Peter Chinneck was the biggest spender, buying 39 million shares to push his stake up to almost 12%.

Chairman Adam Wilson also bought 12 million, managing director Steven Best 15 million and finance director Greg Kuenzel 2.5 million, all at 0.2p. The purchases sparked renewed interest in the shares last week, which were up by almost 40% at one point, providing an instant paper profit for the board members.

Two directors at adhesive tapes manufacturer Scapa Group have each bought 100,000 shares at 12.5p.

The purchases by Calvin O'Connor and James Wallace came just weeks after the company said it was cutting its workforce following a steep fall in sales.

Raman Kumar, chief executive of healthcare outsourcing group CBay Systems, has sold part of his holding. He disposed of 164,733 shares at around 88p each but still retains a stake of three million shares.

Barry Bester, chairman of DIY retailer Topps Tiles, has spent 300,000 in shares in the group which has seen its share price hammered in recent months. He bought two million shares in the group at 15p each. The company recently reported like-for-like sales over the Christmas period were down by more than 18%.

Two directors at oil explorer Maple Energy have cut their holdings.

Chairman Jack Hanks sold 863,666 shares at 109p a share and chief executive Rex Canon sold 600,000 at the same price.

Peter Ratcliffe, a director at cruise holiday group Carnival, has sold 12,567 shares at 1,249p.

Chris Wright, chairman and co-founder of music group Chrysalis, has topped up his stake in the company. He bought 300,000 shares at 56.5p each and now holds just under 19 million.

Piers Caldecote, chairman of media investment company Tangent Communications, bought 250,000 shares at 2.5p following a profit warning.