UNCERTAINTY surrounds the pensions of more than 500 scheme members of troubled furnisher retailer Courts.

The company, which has seven stores in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, plus 81 other branches in the UK, went into administration last week with debts of £280m.

Courts' annual report shows that its final salary scheme has a £14m black hole.

The Courts pension Scheme has 375 active members, 175 deferred and five pensioners. It is not known how many of those are local.

It is too early to say yet if any potential buyers would make up the shortfall and honour the retirement savings.

Administrator KPMG has so far received 65 expressions of interest from deal-makers, with information packs sent out to more than 35 potential buyers.

But that is unlikely to be of any comfort to an estimated 55,000 customers, many of whom are from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

They were furious after learning their deposits and goods had been lost. All the UK stores are temporarily closed amid safety fears.

As previously reported by the Daily Echo, police were called the Hedge End branch of Courts after a mob of angry customers gathered outside.

Elsewhere, windows were smashed and furniture removed. Staff at one store were barricaded in to prevent them leaving.

Courts has promised to deliver all orders to customers who have paid the full balance, and whose goods are already in stock.

The company will be unable to deliver goods not already in stock, as it has no money to pay the manufacturers.

KPMG is advising customers who paid by credit card to contact their provider to seek a refund.

Mick McLoughlin, joint administrator and head of KPMG Corporate Recovery said: "We appreciate customers' frustration and would like to be able to open the stores to facilitate the release of stock that has been allocated to customers where balances have been paid or can be paid.

"Unfortunately, because of customer disturbance and aggressive incidents that have taken place over the last couple of days, we cannot take the risk of reopening the stores. In some cases, it is the very people we are trying to help who are preventing us from opening."

Meanwhile, retail rival MFI has announced a rescue plan to help Courts customers who have lost their deposit.

MFI says it will give customers the value of their deposit towards a purchase from MFI, up to a maximum value of ten per cent.