Falling orders put firm into administration

A COMPANY manufacturing optical lenses in Barton-upon-Humber has gone into administration and made half its workforce redundant because of a falling order book.

By The Newsroom

Published 27th Aug 2010, 11:55 BST

Updated 27th Aug 2010, 11:56 BST

Humberside Optical Services Limited, founded in 1987, has suffered from falling order levels over the past 18 months following reduced consumer spending on eyewear as a result of the economic downturn, said administrator Begbies Traynor.

Half the firm's 40 employees were laid off just before the administrators were appointed on Tuesday.

It followed the loss of a significant customer.

Andrew Mackenzie and Bob Maxwell, appointed joint administrators, aim to sell the business as a going concern.

"The poor recent trading of the business has left the firm with unserviceable debt, and forced the redundancies in order to give the business any chance of survival," Mr MacKenzie said. He was optimistic a buyer would be found.

The company supplied lenses and optical supplies to opticians across the UK.