A 90-year-old haulage company has gone bust, making more than 100 of its employees redundant with immediate effect.
Kenyon Road Haulage Ltd which is based in Blackburn and has been in operation since 1935 has gone into administration with Krolls taking the lead on the company’s insolvency.
A spokesman for the administrators confirmed 90 of the 97 road haulage and 18 of the 22 warehousing employees have been made redundant.
An employee of the once family-owned firm – which was taken over in 2016 by Graham Darnell who also owns and runs Truswell and Sons and did run Adam Jones and Sons until that went bust in May last year – said around 70 drivers and warehouse staff were called into a meeting on Monday where they were given the bad news.
The employee, who did not wish to be named, but has worked for the haulage firm in Thornley Avenue for around four years said: “We were called in as employees to a meeting on Monday.
“We knew the company had been struggling as they’ve not been able to pay the drivers and suppliers for their fuel and what they need on a day to day basis.
“So we get called in on Monday at 11am and there were about 70 of us altogether, and the administrators and insolvency team were there too.
“We were told that we were being made redundant from that point on.
“Kenyon’s has been around since 1935, everyone in Blackburn knows Kenyon’s, and then the family sold it on 2016 to Graham Darnell and it’s not been the same since.”
The employee claims that as well as having to pay for their own fuel, drivers had not been paid for the last week’s work, and were not being given remaining holiday pay or time in lieu.
The employee went on: “Some of us knew this was coming as the firm has been having trouble paying some of the drivers. The majority of us have no jobs to go to but some of us, like myself, who knew there was something going on have managed to get other work.
“Some of the drivers have been there 16 years, we feel aggrieved.”
Kenyon’s were contacted for comment but said to go to the administrators for an official statement.
A spokesperson for Kroll’s said: “Michael Lennon and Steven Muncaster of Kroll were appointed as administrators to Kenyon Road Haulage Limited and Kenyon Warehousing Limited yesterday (March 20 2023).
“Due to the financial position of the entities both companies ceased to trade upon the appointment of administrators with 90 of the 97 road haulage and 18 of the 22 warehousing employees being made redundant.
“The remaining staff have been retained by the administrators to assist in the administrators with their duties and wind down operations.”
