About 130 jobs have been lost at a Scottish construction company that collapsed this week.

Dundee-based WH Brown Construction has gone into receivership under the pressure of mounting debts, after more than 40 years of trading.

Its subsidiary Bronco Timber Products has also been placed in the receivership of Derek Hyslop and Colin Dempster of Ernst & Young.

Mr Hyslop said: "Despite the best efforts of the directors, difficult economic conditions have resulted in a situation where the immediate cessation of trading is necessary at both companies.

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"Regretfully, this has resulted in the unavoidable loss of approximately 130 jobs.

"We are now focused on establishing the full extent of the company’s debts as we aim to realise its assets on behalf of its creditors."

Receivers said staff at the firm, which is based in the city’s West Pitkerro Industrial Estate, would be offered help with benefit claims, retraining and one-to-one counselling.

Dundee man John McIntosh, 36, told The Courier newspaper he thought the firm’s directors had left workers in the lurch.

He said: "I'm gutted obviously. It's a big Dundee firm and I've got a wife and two kids and a mortgage to pay.''

Harry Frew of the construction union UCATT said he hoped to meet the administrators to establish what members could do next.

He said: "This is extremely disappointing - it is a kick in the teeth for the local economy which is already struggling."

He said that any employees from the company who were members of the union could call the Scottish regional office on 0141 420 2880.

(NE)