THE bones of a North-East bakery were picked over yesterday as its fixtures were auctioned off, only ten months after it was saved from administration.

Despite the high hopes of staff at Tees Valley Bakery Limited, in Middlesbrough, it ceased trading in the past few weeks.

And yesterday the auctioneer’s hammer came down on the last assets of the business, which was formerly Riverside Bakery Limited before being bought from administration by local businessman Anthony Duffy in November.

Thirty-five jobs were saved at the company, a wholesale baker for schools, colleges and retailers.

But auctioneers Pro Auction said the company, based at the Riverside Industrial Park, had struggled in the economic downturn.

According to records held by Companies House, Taylor Rowlands, based in Yarm, were appointed liquidators of the company on August 18.

The fate of the 35 staff is unclear, although sources suggested that a number had found alternative employment in the region.

Yesterday Mark Flynn, director of Pro Auction, which carried out the sale, said: “It has closed and the staff are gone. The auction is to sell off the fixtures and fittings.”

Riverside Bakery, which had traded for more than 25 years, went into administration in October last year.

When a buyer was found bakery manager Chris Timney said: “The new owner is very enthusiastic and has some exciting plans to build on the potential and grow the business.

“The management team has an excellent business pedigree and, after a difficult month, everyone is now very excited by the future.”

The bakery had already recovered from controversy in 2005, when inspectors reported “appalling and highly unsatisfactory”

conditions at the factory, in Bowes Road.

Further inspections by Middlesbrough Council’s food and safety team found discarded dough infested with fruit flies, biscuit beetles and mould, as well as dirty equipment in preparation areas.

The firm was fined £16,000 after pleading guilty to four breaches of food safety regulations.

The economic downturn has hit the region’s bakers hard.

Shortly before Christmas, Newcastle-based North-East Bakery, which ran 13 Nicholsbranded high street shops, went into administration.

In January, County Durham-based Peters Bakery, which runs a bakery and a chain of shops, asked its 580 staff to take a ten per cent pay cut.

In contrast, Newcastle based Greggs is ploughing ahead with a store expansion programme after another successful year.