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Around 480 jobs have been axed after a North West manufacturing group placed two businesses into administration.

Trafford-based The Cartwright Group said the move comes after the company fell into financial difficulty due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Staff who turned up to the head office in Broadheath on Tuesday were met with an audio message from appointed administrators Deloitte, .

The message confirmed that S Cartwright and Sons coachbuilders and Cartwright Fabrications had "ceased trading with immediate effect".

The Cartwright Group, based in , confirmed the decision to staff on Tuesday afternoon.

The 68-year-old trailer manufacturer employed around 800 people across sites in Cheshire, Leeds, Glasgow and Aldridge.

The message from Deloitte said: "As a result your employment will terminate with immediate effect today by means of compulsory redundancy for economic reasons."

Staff were called into a meeting at the site on Atlantic Street at 3pm on Monday, and were told to expect formal communication the next day.

Staff told the M.E.N. that hundreds of employees were told to go home and ring a telephone number the following day for an 'official announcement.'

Details of a redundancy package are due to be sent to employees over the next few days. Staff claim they have been told it is 'unlikely' they will be paid for the last week of work.

One worker says he and his colleagues were prevented from collecting their tools and private belongings when they visited the site on Tuesday.

The man, who had worked for the group for seven years, said he was disappointed with the way the news had been communicated to staff.

Another employee, who had worked for the company for five years, said staff had been left upset and angry about the way the job losses were handled.

"We feel we have been let down by the company as they didn't give us any warning or notice," he said, speaking to the M.E.N.

"They have not confirmed if we are going to get paid for the last week. The director told us it was unlikely that we will.

"Luckily I live at home but I can vouch for a lot of people with families. One guy has a child on the way and is halfway through an extension on his house.

"A lot of us have mortgages and we have all just been left with no idea what is going on."

The employee said most of his colleagues are based in the Greater Manchester area, and fears many will be looking for new jobs at the same time.

"I am pretty worried at the moment - I still have bills to pay and direct debits going out," he said. There has been no information about our redundancy pay.

"Many people have worked for the company for 20 plus years so it's all they really know."

Michael Magnay and Dan Smith have been announced as the restructuring partners at Deloitte, and have been appointed as Joint Administrators to the Cartwright Group.

The announcement is expected to see 259 employees of the sold Cartwright businesses transferring to the new owner.

However, it will result in around 480 redundancies at S Cartwright & Sons (Coachbuilders) Limited and Cartwright Fabrications Limited, which fall outside of the sale.

Deloitte said the group had been 'heavily impacted' by the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in the closure of the manufacturing site for several months.

Michael Magnay, Joint Administrator at Deloitte, said: "The Cartwright Group is a well-known and established company in the Cheshire area.

"Whilst we are pleased that a total closure of the Group has been avoided, we regret that today’s announcement includes a number of redundancies.

"Our thanks go out to all the employees at what we appreciate is a difficult time, and we are providing support to those affected."

The Manchester Evening News has made repeated attempts to contact The Cartwright Group.