SCORES of Sussex workers are facing an uncertain future after one of the UK's biggest high-street retailers went into administration.

The collapse of retailer BHS has left workers facing the prospect of losing their jobs at seven Sussex stores.

Nationally 11,000 jobs are at risk and 164 stores face closure in the country's biggest retail failure since Woolworths went bust in 2008.

Ödül Bozkurt, senior lecturer at the University's Sussex department of business and management, criticised the management and previous boss Sir Philip Green who sold the firm for £1 last year.

Dr Bozkurt flatly rejected owner Dominic Chappell's claim the collapse was "no-one's faul".

She said: "11,000 workers out of a job and over 20,000 awaiting to hear what happens to their pension - when do worker numbers count as 'too big to fail'?

"Even more grating for many will be the obvious impunity and even improved fortunes of those who, having been in positions to make the decisions, have failed to make the business work.

"The pay raise of nearly 40 per cent given out to top management in the Arcadia Group after dropping BHS and Sir Philip Green’s fairytale wealth and lifestyle are all too visible and painful to watch for those who are possibly without a job or looking at a reduced pension."

BHS will continue to trade as usual while potential buyers are sought out with Mr Chappell offering to work with the administrators to "find a solution post the administration".

He said: "No-one is to blame. It was a combination of bad trading and not being able to raise enough money from the property portfolio.

"In the end, we just couldn't reach an agreement with Arcadia over pensions."

John Hannett, general secretary of retail union Usdaw, called on the Government to intervene to protect taxpayers from picking up the bill for redundancy payments.

Insolvency expert Begbies Traynor regional managing partner Julie Palmer described BHS as an "under-performing brand" that had failed to keep pace with change in the retail sector, with a sale "increasingly unlikely".

Administrators Duff & Phelps said last-ditch talks to find a buyer for the firm over the weekend had failed but it was too early to say what the future of workers would be.

The Pensions Regulator has begun an investigation into the retailer which has debts of more than £1.3 billion and a pension fund deficit of £571 million.