THE owner of a transport company has told of his devastation at having to make more than 200 workers redundant.

Family-run Bulmers Transport ceased to exist on Friday after severe trading conditions and a £140,000 bad debt were compounded by a £300,000 bill from the Inland Revenue.

The company, based in Middlesbrough, has been established for more than 25 years and had a secondary operation in Ipswich, Suffolk.

Staff were told of the decision to cease operating in an emotional meeting held by managing director Johnathan Bulmer.

Speaking to The Northern Echo yesterday, Mr Bulmer said: “The business suffered a bad debt of about £140,000 and that has led to a cash shortfall and we were in a position where we were behind on the Inland Revenue payments.

Because of the shortfall...

they issued a windingup petition on the business.

“It is a disaster. I have put 19 years’ hard work into the business and over £1m of my own money in too to try and make a success of it.”

About 220 people were made redundant on Friday evening.

Mr Bulmer said: “It was the worst day of my life. To stand in the office at Teesside with maybe 50 or 60 of the staff there, people who have been there 17 or 18 years. I struggled my way through it because I couldn’t keep the tears out of my eyes.”

Mr Bulmer said the company had tried to reason with the Inland Revenue, but it was clear on its position.

Mr Bulmer said: “Bulmers Transport will go into administration, if not before, then on Thursday of this week when the court hearing for the winding-up petition is heard.

“I am personally in a very difficult situation.

“I have given a good part of my life to this business, as have a lot of other people.

“I would like to thank everyone for their loyal and hard service. We had a fantastic group of people, loyal and professional.

I feel very much for them and their families because I am concerned about my family.

“I have had some fantastic texts and messages off staff and spoke to some of them.

“It was a family business, it was close and it wasn’t just a faceless organisation.”

Some drivers have been taken on by haulage company Ward Brothers, also based on Teesside.

The company shared clients with Bulmers and has stepped in to ensure deliveries are made.

Managing director Steve Ward said he had appealed for drivers to help with the extra work and added: “We expected a few of them, but we did not expect the numbers that actually came. There were 80 or 90 and we cannot employ them all because it is just too many.”

Mr Bulmer, meanwhile, said he would not be starting the business again, as happened when Bulmers Logistics went into administration about two years ago.

He said: “I believed in the business and I still do, but this has totally wiped me out.”