AROUND 120 families are facing a grim Christmas after the laundry company they worked for went into administration.

White Knight Laundry Services, based in Hammonds Drive, Eastbourne, closed its doors late last week.

The company was founded in 1904 and operated from two sites in Eastbourne and Reading.

It provided laundry cleaning services and linen hire to both commercial and domestic customers, including hotels, restaurants, schools and the healthcare sector.

KPMG has been appointed as the administrators and confirmed that the majority of the firm’s 131 employees have been made redundant.

Of that figure, 119 were employed at Eastbourne.

A small number of staff have been kept on to assist with the wind-down process.

Steve Absolom, director at KPMG and joint administrator, said: "The facility at Eastbourne has been unable to process enough of a critical mass of laundry to make the plant financially sustainable.

"Despite the efforts of management to effect a turnaround, the management have taken the difficult decision to place the company into administration.

"Over the coming days, our priority is to ensure all employees who have been made redundant receive the information and guidance they need in order to claim monies owed from the Redundancy Payments Office.

"We will also be seeking buyers for the mothballed facility and its assets and would urge any interested parties to contact us as soon as possible."

A notice on the White Knight website simply said: "The company is in administration and is no longer trading."

David Tutt, leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, expressed his disappointment.

He said: "The news that White Knight has gone into administration after more than a century of trading is very sad indeed, especially coming just before Christmas, placing strain upon so many local families.

"My hope is that their loyal staff quickly find alternative employment."

In 2013 the company launched a £10 million investment programme with a new brand identity.

The striking purple livery and white knight helmet icon - created out of origami style folded linen - was designed to capture the heritage of the business and its Royal Warrant status.

The bold look was said to be the first phase of a four year programme that would see the introduction of a fully automated laundry, gas powered dryers and ironing presses at its Reading site, bosses claimed.

They said the new technology would make White Knight one of the most advanced and eco-friendly laundry companies in the UK.

MD Robert Adams said at the time: "With the investment we’re making in state of the art processes, we can continue to provide exceptional laundry services more efficiently and with a smaller carbon footprint.

"We’re intent on building a business that will last for at least another 100 years."