I’ve never heard of them but, ask yourself, “If, in this day and age, they don’t have a Web page, then why?”
As for phones and PPE, if you can justify having to buy equipment in order to pursue a course of employment, then you can set that against Income Tax. That applies to everyone. You just have to convince the Taxman that it is a legitimate expenditure. 
Drivers who are supplied with a ‘uniform’ that carries a Company Logo, and which they are required to launder themselves, are also allowed an allowance to set against Income Tax. (I think the figure is £88 p.a.)
Employers are also allowed to pay Drivers a Tax Free daily ‘Meal Allowance’. In 1997 the figure was £2 per day. In 2003 the figure is…still £2 per day. I am not aware of any employers who pay it, but over the year the savings in Income Tax and N.I. Contributions would pay for a good meal out for two. The employer would also save a few quid on their portion of N.I. Contrbutions.
As for being your own PLC, this was a common practice within the I.T. Industry in the late 80’s. I think the Govt introduced measures to prevent this. (Although it can still be done, subject to restrictions, and was discussed on the old forums)
Your post reminds me of an agency that I have referred to before. I’m not in possession of sufficient factual evidence to enable me to name them but, their operation centred around issuing pay slips that showed that Income Tax and N.I. had been deducted. However, these monies were never forwarded to the Treasury. When they came under pressure, they went into liquidation. From memory, Companies House shows them having gone bust in 1999, and 2001. They are still trading under a slightly different name - probably doing the same thing.
So how does this affect their employees? The Inland Revenue writes to the agency employee and bills them for unpaid Tax and N.I. - If the employee cannot produce the pay slips showing that the deductions were made, then they have to pay.
The other ‘cautionary’ comment I would make is in relation to the driver carrying his pay slips with him. A friend of mine, an I.F.A. (Independent Financial Advisor) relates a story of trying to arrange a mortgage for a driver. He needed to have pay slips covering the last three months. The driver replied, “I just leave them in the cab, but another driver cleaned it out, so I don’t have them” P60? “I never keep that.” 
Agencies - check them out, Companies House, Accreditation by Representative Bodies.
Pay slips - take them home, file them away.
As for Nova, check them out, do some research, speak to the Trading Standards covering the area in which they are based, a personal visit might be better. Ask if they have any current interest in the Company. It’s unlikely that they will tell anything directly but the difference between, “Yes, we’ve heard of them, but are not able to discuss such matters” and “We’ve never received any complaints about a Company of that name” speaks volumes. 
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