ANGER is mounting among former workers and small businesses after Portland Spa Ltd went into administration.

There were calls for the directors to be ‘hung out to dry’ amid claims they ran roughshod over small businesses on the Island This comes after local tradesman and businesses were left being owed more than £200,000 when the four-star hotel went into administration on Friday.

Portland resident Denise Janson said: “I would like to see them hung out to dry.

“I know a lot of people round here would like a formal investigation into what happened.

“In Portland we are a tight-knit community and right now there are a lot of people struggling because of them – they should hang their heads in shame.”

Hotel porter Joseph Francis, 25, was one of the 11 staff laid off on Monday.

He said he feels ‘truly disappointed’ after hoping to climb up the career ladder at the hotel.

“I even worked nights for them just to help out,” he said.

“At first I tried to be positive when everyone was talking about losing their jobs and after they went into administration, we were told our jobs would be safe.

“Then on Monday I got a call at home saying that I’d lost my job – I’m just shocked.”

Former chambermaid Jenny Wellstead was laid off from the hotel in January and said she was ‘stunned’ at the time because of the dedication she had given the company.

She said: “I started work in November and worked alongside the builders to get the place finished and the rooms ready. “We even went back at night-time to make sure the place was ready.”

Jenny was out of work for about three months before she managed to get her job.

This week there has been mounting anger from business owners and traders in the area, who fear they will not get back the large sums of money they are owed by the hotel.

Owner of Portex Portland Ltd Terry Vincent said he is owed around £3,000 after he supplied the hotel with reconstituted stone earlier this year. He said: “I feel like I have been strung along – they got the hotel up and running and now the local people have been left in the lurch.”

The directors of Portland Spa declined to comment.

The four-star Portland Spa Hotel complex went into administration last Friday.

The £10million hotel and conference centre was created out of unused space at Southwell Business Park.

Directors built the complex in phases from early 2006. The first phase included a fitness centre with steam rooms and fitness halls.

That was followed by a spa therapy centre, swimming pool, restaurant and lounges with the hotel opening in October, 2008.

KPMG has been appointed administrator of the hotel and Southwell Estates Ltd.

Southwell Business Park itself is not in administration.

Following the 11 redundancies on Monday, the hotel continues to run as usual.

The Echo would like to clarify that the firms featured in yesterday’s story are all trading as usual and are confident of the future, despite the money owed to them by Portland Spa Ltd. We would also like to correct two statements printed in the article on Page 4.

Larry Thorne, of P&J Butchers is owed £3,000 and the Travis Perkins store is owed around £70,000.