Workers at a high-class Bradford bakery have been left reeling after being told the business was closing with the loss of 15 jobs.

The staff of Carriages Continental Breads received hand-delivered letters on Saturday from boss Michael Hanson telling them their employment was terminated and insolvency practitioners had been appointed.

The company, which supplies top people's store Harvey Nichols in Leeds and a string of hotels and businesses in the Bradford area, has now closed.

Gary Blackburn, of Leeds-based insolvency practitioners Begbies Traynor, said he was holding talks today with two Bradford bakeries who might be interested in a rescue package.

"It's a matter of whether they think there is anything they can salvage," he said.

"We will attempt to sell the assets and see if there is an opportunity to bring at least some of the workforce back."

He said the company had debts of about £100,000.

"I think Michael Hanson's problem was that if he had told the workforce they probably wouldn't have turned up for work on the Friday night shift and he wanted to complete the cycle.

"But he should have faced them earlier and told them the facts of life."

The company has about 100 customers in the Bradford, Leeds, Manchester and Wetherby areas.

Mr Blackburn said a creditors meeting would be held at 10am on February 24 at his offices in Leeds but he added: "Hopefully by then if we can find a buyer we will have applied to the courts for permission to sell the assets.

Mr Hanson, 36, started the business in 1995, operating from the Bowling Court Industrial estate. It became a limited company on February 8 last year.

He then opened a shop in Bradford's Wool Exchange to help sell the bread, much of it made from continental recipes.

Bakers Robert Broadhead and Graham Hughes and van drivers Dominic Colley and Keith Rayner were among the staff who received the news at the weekend.

Mr Rayner, 44, said: "It was a bolt out of the blue - nobody had any idea at all.

"We are all stunned."

Mr Broadhead, 39, said: "We had a big staff do at Christmas and I asked Mr Hanson how we were doing and he said 'Wait until next year and see just where we are'. He was very optimistic."

The Telegraph & Argus was unable to contact Mr Hanson for a comment.

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