A PROMOTIONS company at the centre of a financial row following two outdoor concerts in North Yorkshire has gone into liquidation.

Ian Martin Events, based at Norton, near Malton, North Yorkshire, produced and promoted the Last Night of the Proms show and Party in the Park pop event at Ripley Castle, near Harrogate, in the summer.

It emerged last month that some concert suppliers had not been paid, and also that dozens of people were still waiting for a refund after the date of one of the concerts was changed.

The row began when the pop event, which was scheduled for July 27, was cancelled and rescheduled to September 1, after boy-band Blue pulled out.

People who had bought tickets were contacted by Ian Martin Events and offered the choice of a free ticket to the Last Night of the Proms concert, or to attend the rescheduled pop gig, or a full refund. About 3,000 people turned up at the reorganised gig, which featured chart-toppers Liberty X, but two other acts - Darius and 3SL - did not appear.

Sir Thomas Ingilby, owner of Ripley Castle, claims he is owed about £20,000 by the promoters. He contacted North Yorkshire Trading Standards officers after receiving calls from people who had not had their refund.

He said: "We are not surprised that Ian Martin Events has gone into liquidation, but for the customers and suppliers involved, it may be a good thing.

"Now that the administrators can get in there, perhaps we can find out why things went so badly wrong."