HOPES that a collapsed tyre manufacturing plant could be revived in the North-East - and dozens of lost jobs salvaged - have been dashed.

The equipment and brand names owned by County Durham-based C-Tyres have been sold to a rival tyre retread company in Poland for an undisclosed amount.

C-Tyres managing director Gary Oliver had hoped that a British company would take ownership of the assets, allowing tyre production to start up again from within C-Tyres leased premises in Langley Moor.

But Mr Oliver confirmed yesterday that a tyre firm called Mark Gum, based in Poland, had successfully bid for the remains of C-Tyres.

Equipment from the factory on the Littleburn Industrial Estate will be shipped overseas and the Polish company will take ownership of the Colway brand, which was established in the region in 1967.

Mr Oliver said: "There were several UK people that I know were interested and I was hoping there was a chance we could get things back up and running here, but that hasn't happened.

"Colway tyres will no longer be made in the UK, which is very disappointing.

"I know of Mark Gum, it is one of two or three fairly sizeable retread companies in Poland, where manufacturing costs and labour costs are a lot lower than they are here."

C-Tyres hit problems three months ago, when the landlord of its factory served the company with a forfeiture notice, following a disagreement over the payment of rent.

The firm closed its doors with the loss of 100 jobs in October and was placed into administration on November 1 by Sunderland firm Tenon Recovery.

Final bids for the company were considered last week.

Mr Oliver formed C-Tyres with finance director Peter Morris more than six years ago, after buying the assets of Colway Tyres and its sister company, Motorway Retreads.

"We tried our hardest to make it work, to bring out new products and sell into niche markets,"

said Mr Oliver.

"I'm just sorry to the workforce for the way things turned out, and I am sorry that the Colway brand will no longer be in the UK."