The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
A loyal worker of 19 years was reduced to tears after seeing the empty shell of troubled Pinchbeck factory Lloyd Loom of Spalding with its machines ripped out.
The premises of the specialist furniture manufacturer in Wardentree Lane were cleared, with several employees only finding out when they turned up for work.
Weave department supervisor Darren Smith, of Pennygate, Spalding, took voluntary redundancy in June after becoming frustrated by what he claims were erratic wage payments and a decline in working conditions. But so far he has received just £1,000 of the £6,500 redundancy sum.
Now, with no job, he and wife Julia are reliant on benefits payments as full-time carers for their severely disabled sons Ben (11) and Toby (8), who suffer with SWAN (Syndrome With No Name).
Lloyd Loom is understood to have had 65 workers on the shop floor and 20 office staff in 2013, but just a handful of employees remained when it closed this month.
And customers who had already paid for goods have been left empty-handed.
Much of Mr Smith’s bitterness is directed towards Anthony Draxler (48), one of two company directors appointed in 2013.
Mr Smith, who returned to the premises last week in search of answers, said: “The firm itself was like a family to me – I loved it – but as for Anthony Draxler I just want to throttle him.
“All the machines have been ripped out. It’s so disheartening after all the hours we worked on them. It made me cry.”
On his future, he said: “I really don’t know because my head is that far gone. All I can think about is my two boys.”
Although Lloyd Loom was known to have been struggling, the sudden action left many angry people and questions.
Employee Paul Spooner said: “He cleared the factory within a week, telling the workers nothing of his plans.
“Ten workers turned up for work on December 21 to find the factory containing only rubbish – all machinery and production materials gone and the locks changed.
“He owes ten workers including myself an average £4,000 each in wages.
“None of us can claim for government redundancy or back pay because, in theory, the company still exists. This is the case because he has a CVA (Company Voluntary Arrangement) in place.”
With conflicting theories circulating on social media, premises owner Michael Walker took the unusual step of publishing a letter of his to Mr Draxler’s solicitor.
He wrote that ten employees were up to 12 weeks without pay, two High Court bailiffs with warrants for outstanding debts had been, and customers who had paid for furniture – some as recently as December 4 – were “distressed” to have not received their goods.
