ADMINISTRATORS last night remained tight-lipped on the future of a stricken civil engineering firm.

Union leaders revealed on Tuesday that 229 out of 267 workers at the O'Donnell Brothers had been made redundant.

But administrators from the DTE Group have so far refused to confirm or deny the figure.

Hundreds of staff turned up at the civil engineering firm's depots in Billingham, Stockton and Lemington in Newcastle on Monday to find the gates locked.

The GMB union has spent the past three days struggling to find out even basic details about the administration, such as exact staff figures for the two sites.

The family-owned business collapsed after it lost a major contract with electricity supplier NEDL.

Workers at both depots were instructed to bring in all plant equipment and vehicles on Friday.

They were told in letters that this was for an audit and that the firm was not in any difficulties.

Jackie Woodall, regional organiser with the GMB on Teesside, said the workers had been issued a series of contradictory letters in the run-up to Monday.

She said: "One worker told me he received a series of letters, saying they should bring everything in for an audit, then cancelling it, then it was back on again. One claimed the company was in no trouble at all, and threatening legal action against anyone who said otherwise."

She said the workers were still owed a week's pay.

DTE yesterday issued a statement, but refused to comment any further.

It said: "DTE Leonard Curtis have been appointed as administrators to preserve the value of the business and will be working closely with the existing management to determine the way forward."