Retaining old paperwork

[zax]

Been clearing out some things today and realised that I still have all paperwork related to a Ltd. company I ran from 1997 to 2002. Of course I'll keep all of the major items such as invoices, accounts, tax returns etc. but there is a huge pile of receipts (everything from network hardware to taxi fares) and other assorted trivia which I would dearly love to burn to free up some storage space.

What's the official line on how long such documentation should be retained?

[JustinP1]

I believe the law is 6 years.

That said I still have stuff from before that filed away in the loft, that I can't be bothered to chuck, and it will probably stay that way!