Riverside Freight Services P&O Ferrymasters sinks with £900,000 debt looks to outsource
Page 9
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
ESSEX-BASED haulage firm Riverside Freight Services has gone into liquidation owing creditors an estimated £900,000.
Joint liquidators from Begbies Traynor were appointed to the Purfleet-based cornpany, which had .a licence for 25 vehicles and 35 trailers, on 29 November.
When CM contacted Riverside to speak to director Gary Townsend, we were told its telephone number is now being used for Bulk Logistics ( UK), a business that is registered in Southend-on-Sea.
Its sole director is Deborah Sumpton, who was previously the company secretary at Riverside.
Earl Transport in Accrington is owed 11,250 by Riverside and MD Peter Hughes admits there were signs the firm was struggling in the weeks leading up to its closure.
"We knew we were a [me vulnerable because payments slowed," he says. "We tried speaking to them and they admitted they were having difficulties, hut they were hoping to pay their way through.
"We used them as a backloading agency, not really a contractor."
Rotherham-based Green Group Logistics is owed around £1,300 by Riverside for back loads it carried out of Folkestone.
A traffic office spokesman says it wasn't aware the company was in trouble. He adds: "It's happening all over the place with the price of diesel and it's going to happen a lot more."
Neither Gary Townsend nor Deborah Sumpter were able to be contacted.