Stunned workers were given the bad news on Friday.

One source close to the company told the Scarborough Evening News: “The staff came into work as normal for nine o’clock. By ten past nine they were back home.

“The news came totally out of the blue. They are distraught at what’s happened, a lot of the workers have a family, and some have recently bought a house, that’s how safe they felt.”

FMB member 3P has been trading since 1999 after it emerged from the ashes of 3P Design which went under with the loss of 56 jobs

A company spokesperson told the Evening News: “I would like to thank all of the employees, suppliers, subcontractors and the customers for all of their support and hard work over the years.

“We are sorry that this has happened but we want them to know that we have really tried our best to stop this from happening.

“This is an old-fashioned company, who care about the people who work with us.

“I have literally seen people grow up in the job, from starting at 16 to buying their first home, and my heart goes out to everyone who has been affected by this.”