FRIGHTENED staff at a troubled furniture firm refused to open their flagship Hampshire store after a mob of angry customers gathered outside.

Workers at the Hedge End branch of Courts called in police to break up the crowd.

The protesters were furious that they have lost money after the company went into administration with debts of £280m.

Anyone who paid deposits on furniture by cash, cheque or debit card has lost out.

Customers who had paid deposits by credit card should be covered by their card provider.

Along with Courts' 81 other UK branches, its seven stores in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight had been closed for stocktaking for most of the week but were due to re-open yesterday morning.

But, in scenes repeated across the country, staff were confronted by furious customers demanding their money back and refused to open up.

Police said no criminal offences had been committed in Hampshire but elsewhere in the country staff members' cars were attacked, store windows smashed and, in one incident, the doors of the store chained and barricaded so workers could not leave.

A spokesman for Hampshire police said the crowd was peaceful by the time officers arrived.

He said: "We attended the Courts showroom at Hedge End this morning at the request of staff who reported that a large group of people had assembled outside the store.

"On arrival we spoke to staff and provided them with advice."

A spokesman for administrators KPMG said it was not clear when the stores would re-open.

He said: "There were a number of disturbances up and down the country which meant we are unable to open our stores because the security and safety of our staff had to come first. Something has happened outside ten or 11 sites.

"We are not going to reopen until we know our staff are not going to be attacked. At the moment it is not clear when that might be."

Courts customer Steve Head said: "I have come here every day this week in the hope I could speak to somebody about the possibility of paying the balance on my furniture and taking it from the store myself."

Fellow customer Marion Stewart added: "We have been left in the lurch. Our furniture is in there somewhere. It looks like we are going to have to go in and buy our own furniture back again."

People who have put down deposits on goods can find out more by ringing a helpline on 0870 950 1333.