A DARLINGTON man has told of his despair at losing £450 following the demise of Williams music shop.

Leroy Francis, from Darlington, bought a £450 piano from Williams music shop, in Houndgate, Darlington, on February 6.

Despite staff assurances, the piano was never delivered and on March 2 it was announced that the family-run Williams Music Group, which employed more than 150 people in stores across the country, had gone into administration.

Originally based solely in the North-East, Williams expanded over the past ten years from three piano shops to 11 outlets throughout the UK.

Mr Francis received a letter shortly afterwards saying he would not receive the goods he had ordered and paid for.

Mr Francis said: "The salesman told me my piano would be delivered on March 9, but it never arrived.

"There must be something the administrators can do for people in my situation. All I want is my piano."

Mark Firmin, of administrators KPMG, said there was a chance that Mr Francis would get some money back, but acknowledged that he and other unsecured creditors would not be a priority.

He said: "If, at the end of the administration, there are funds left over for the unsecured creditors, after the secured and preferential creditors have been paid, then a liquidator would be appointed to distribute to unsecured creditors."

A spokeswoman for Darlington Borough Council said: "We would recommend that anyone paying for goods of more than £100 uses a credit card as this gives them more protection than paying with cash."

The Williams Music Group was formed in 1910 by keen musician and amateur conductor George Williams, who started out selling pianos off the back off a horse-drawn cart.