Tax record retention period

[Gilbert]

I've never been quite clear on this:

How long, as an individual, do i have to retain tax records for to meet HMRC requirements? And is there any difference if i'm a director of a company?
Also, if HMRC investigated me, how far back can they go? (would i be better off retaining records longer than legally required to?)

[northernladuk]

6 years

CH14600 - Record Keeping: How long must records be retained for: Corporation tax