Most of the assets of the firm have now been bought by facilities management specialist OCS in a move which has saved 1,570 jobs.

The dramatic events are the latest in a turbulent few years for Fountains which was formerly a subsidiary of Connaught but survived the contractor’s crash in 2010.

Administrators said 153 of the job losses were in Norwich, 139 in Liverpool,52 in Rochford, Essex, 42 in Cannock, Staffordshire, 47 in Uxbridge, west London, 10 on the Isle of Wight and eight in Victoria, London.

The Norwich workers were summoned to a meeting at midday yesterday to be told their contract would not be transferring to OCS as part of the sale.

Tony Nygate, spokesman for the administrators, said: “We are pleased to have concluded the sale of the business to OCS Group, preserving more than 1,570 jobs.

“A sale of Fountains Group was the best option to secure the future of the business, which has been exposed to the difficult economic climate.

“Today’s announcement enables the business to move forward confidently and on a secure financial footing.”

Martin Gammon, Managing Director of OCS Group UK, said: “This is great news for everyone at OCS and a clear demonstration of our intention to further develop our strong position as a leading player in the UK FM market.

“By adding the Fountains brand and customer base to OCS, we will broaden our horticulture service offering to customers, whilst facilitating synergy with existing clients.”