AROUND 150 jobs have been lost in Dunfermline as Palmer & Harvey (P&H) McLane Limited enter administration.

Joint administrators at the business services firm PwC announced that 151 employees at the Pitreavie Business Park depot have lost their jobs with immediate effect at the UK's largest delivered wholesaler.

A total of 31 members of staff have been kept on in Dunfermline.

P&H Group employ around 3,400 workers with 2,500 being made redundant before Christmas.

The appointment was made by London High Court on application by the directors of Palmer & Harvey McLane Limited.

Matthew Callaghan, joint administrator and PwC partner, said: "The Palmer & Harvey name has been a trusted partner for retailers and suppliers for nearly 100 years.

"This is a devastating blow for everyone who has been involved in the business. The administration team will focus on working with employees, clients and suppliers to facilitate a smooth and effective wind-down or transfer of operations over the next few weeks.

“The P&H Group has faced a challenging trading environment, and the need for significant restructuring has been recognised for some while. The company has insufficient cash resources to continue to trade beyond the short term and the directors have concluded that there is no longer any reasonable prospect of a sale. Therefore, the directors have had no choice but appoint administrators.

“The administrators are working closely with employees affected by the closure of the business to ensure they receive the support they need during this difficult time to assist with their claims for redundancy and other compensatory payments. Our priority is to ensure that all employees made redundant are assisted in processing their claims with immediate effect. We will be circulating correspondence to all staff as soon as possible which will outline the support available to complete redundancy payment forms."

Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers), stated they would do "everything possible" to protect members.

Mark Todd, National Officer, said: "Usdaw is deeply concerned at the devastating news that Palmer and Harvey has gone into administration and that a significant number of redundancies have already been announced. The Union is seeking an urgent meeting with the Administrators to clarify what is going on and the implications for Usdaw members.

"Today’s announcement is a massive shock to our members and is an extremely distressing situation for all concerned, especially in the run up to Christmas. We will of course be doing everything possible to protect our members interests going forward."