A WELL-KNOWN Hampshire photographic studio has suddenly shut up shop amid mounting debts and cashflow problems.

Doubletake Studios Ltd in Queensway, Southampton, has entered administration with the immediate loss of more than 130 jobs in the city.

The company appointed joint administrators Phillip Armstrong and Geoff Rowley, partners at FRP Advisory LLP, after bosses found they could not keep afloat because of tax arrears and bills.

The professional photographic studio had its headquarters in London with operations in Birmingham, Manchester and Southampton.

About 450 full-time staff and a further 350 contractors have lost their jobs in total.

Some 355 staff were employed at the company’s Bakers Row and Clerkenwell Close studios in Farringdon, 166 in its Birmingham studio and a further 156 and 136 respectively at its Manchester and Southampton studios.

The company is now advising customers to contact their credit or VISA debit card providers to see if they can recover money paid.

It says orders are being completed and it is anticipated that delivery should occur sometime over the next two weeks.

But it is warning that those with payment plans in place are responsible to pay the outstanding amounts and failure to do so will result in legal action.

Joint administrator Phillip Armstrong said: “Despite exploring payment options with HM Revenue and Customs, the company’s historic debt and the company’s short-term cashflow proved unmanageable, and we are now undergoing the process of closing the business down.

“We will be working with management to fulfil outstanding orders and assisting the Redundancy Payments Office in processing redundancy payments for staff.

“The situation is regrettable, but having explored options it was found that Doubletake Studios Ltd was not viable for a sale as a going concern and we were forced to begin the shutdown process.”

Any further queries should be directed to FRP Advisory LLP, 10 Furnival Street, London,EC4A 1YH or by calling 0203 005 4000.