The civil engineers called-in administrators last month when £120m turnover Daniel ran into financial trouble.

Deals to sell some of Daniel’s contracts to Enterprise and Land & Marine to Murphy saved 1,174 jobs.

But several hundred staff were made redundant and faced the double blow of losing cash saved-up in their Christmas Club fund.

Angry workers contacted the Enquirer as they faced the loss of not only their jobs but also hundreds of pounds in savings.

One said: “That would have been a real kick in the teeth.

“People had been saving up to £500 a month into the Christmas Club since the start of the year and everyone was stunned to hear that cash wasn’t ring-fenced.”

But Deloitte has now confirmed it will honour the payments due to former staff.

A spokesman said: “That money wasn’t ring-fenced so no funds were available as part of the normal administration process..

“We have agreed to honour the money paid into those savings accounts and everyone will get their money back.”

Staff taken on by new employers will have their Christmas Club payments guaranteed under the TUPE underatkings.