THE future of a North-East printing company hangs in the balance after bosses closed the doors this week and laid-off staff.

Workers at Addo Printing on Aycliffe Business Park, which has done print work for Middlesbrough Football Club and Beamish Museum, now face Christmas on the dole after bosses revealed cashflow problems made it increasingly unlikely that salaries would be paid this month.

Addo Printing managing director Keiran Bayley, said: “The company isn’t in administration yet, but the future is unknown.

“Administrators haven’t been called in. You can be honest with staff and send them home whilst you try to find an outcome.

“The hope is that we find a resolution. The staff have been made redundant as we were not certain we could pay salaries at the end of December.”

The blow comes about 18 months since Addo partnered with long established Aycliffe firm HPM Group to create HPM & Addo Limited. HPM’s former managing director Richard Mortimer became chairman of the new company, with Mr Bayley becoming managing director.

HPM Group under the leadership of Mr Mortimer was famous for printing football programmes and in 2013 celebrated a new contract with Premier League club Liverpool.

But it ran into financial trouble after losing a deal to print Sunderland’s programme half-way through the 2013-14 season before its 30-year association with Middlesbrough came to an end in the summer of 2014.

Mr Mortimer terminated his position as a director of Addo Printing in October 2014. Mr Bayley later told reporters that his former business partner had retired.

The business was placed into administration in November last year, 14 people formerly employed by HPM Group lost their jobs, and some key suppliers, including Aycliffe-based Inkland, complained of unpaid debts worth an estimated £100,000.

Addo, originally based in Darlington before it moved to HPM’s Newton Aycliffe premises, said a subsequent “rescue package” had saved 30 jobs. Mr Bailey went on to trade under the Addo Printing name.