POLICE were called to a collapsed Hampshire freight business this morning as workers waited for news on their future.

Bailiffs chasing around a quarter of a million pounds in unpaid rent took over the premises of Boyes Conning on the Chalcroft Business Park, in West End, on Friday.

More than 80 workers, including drivers, warehouse and office staff, had been left fearing for their jobs.

On arrival at the business this morning, they said they were told they could only enter the site to collect their personal belongings.

The 30 drivers waiting outside the site said they were owed two weeks' wages.

Four police cars were stationed at the entrance to the site ahead of the arrival of Michael Tinnelly, from Tinnelly Transport, who had come to speak to the landlord and the drivers.

The Northern Ireland firm took over Boyes' contracts when it went bust at the end of August and had been operating from the site.

The meeting with drivers passed off peacefully.

Channel Islands based landlords Fox International Properties (FIP) are chasing around a quarter of a million pounds in unpaid rent from Boyes parent company GJ Cooper Holdings.

But it is understood they cannot reach GJ Cooper’s sole director Faridoon Yaghoobzadeh, a Manchester businessman.

Father-of-two Alan Clarke, 33, of Thornhill, Southampton, said: “Now I have got to go home and tell the kids I haven’t got a job. We haven’t been let down, we’ve been stitched up.”

James Peters, 41, from Gosport, said: “I just think management have let us down. We are working hard and for what?”

A 55-year-old driver from Eastleigh who asked not to be named said: “We were promised contracts, but it never materialised.

“On reflection we should have taken redundancy and left but I have been here 18 years and I’m loyal and we have been dropped in it. I feel bitter.”

Mr Tinnelly, who met with several workers, told the Daily Echo that the dispute was about unpaid rent on the site and nothing to do with them and offered jobs to some of the workers.

He said: “This came totally out of the blue, there’s no money owed.

“I have promised them [the workers] they will all get their money, but we have to have the invoices.”

Fox International spokesman Jock Russell: “We are doing everything we can to rescue something from this apparent mess. Some of the drivers have been employed by other people on the estate. Some have been employed by Tinnelly.”

Mr Fox added FIP had no relationship with Tinnelly Transport who he said had “no right” to be using the site under the terms of the lease with GJ Cooper Holdings who were available for comment.