May 9 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on

the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not

verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

The Times

- John Wood Group has rejected a 1.4 billion pounds

($1.75 billion) takeover bid from a smaller rival, Sidara,

saying it "fundamentally undervalued" the engineering

consultancy.

- Oxford Cannabinoid ( OCTHF ), a drugs company developing

cannabis-based medicines, is to delist from the London stock

market, blaming turbulent UK markets for exerting "continuous,

irrational and regressive pressure" on its share price.

The Guardian

- British Gas owner Centrica's ( CPYYF ) boss Chris O' Shea

has called for households to face mandatory smart meter

installations weeks after government figures showed that almost

4 million meters are not working.

- James Watt, the co-founder and chief executive of BrewDog

, is to step down after 17 years at the helm of the

Scottish brewer and bar chain, and will be replaced by the

company's chief operating officer, James Arrow.

The Telegraph

- The British online car retailer Cazoo is on the brink of

insolvency after failing to secure emergency funding and has

filed a notice that it intends to appoint administrators at the

High Court.

- A treasure hunting company Argentum Exploration backed by

hedge fund billionaire Paul Marshall has lost a legal battle

over more than 2,000 silver bars recovered from a World War II

shipwreck.

Sky News

- Billionaire Mike Ashley's Frasers Group ( SDIPF ) is

closing in on a deal to become the new British partner of

struggling fashion chain Ted Baker.

- TSB, the UK banking arm of Spain's Sabadell, is

seeking 250 job cuts and 36 branch closures.

The Independent

- British Conservative lawmaker Natalie Elphicke said she

had defected to the opposition Labour Party, becoming the second

Conservative to do so in the last two weeks.

($1 = 0.8004 pounds)

(Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)