More than 100 people have lost their jobs after a double glazing company went bust.

Bowater Home Improvements, which trades as Zenith Staybrite, has closed its four Sussex offices after the company went into administration.

Workers at branches in Worthing, Brighton, Bognor and Crawley turned up for work on Monday only to be told they had lost their jobs.

Each branch is thought to employ between 25 and 35 workers, meaning redundancies could total 140.

Self-employed fitters and canvassers say they have lost thousands of pounds in commission owed to them and have been told they will not be paid for working over Christmas and the new year.

One Worthing worker, who did not want to be named, said: "Everyone turned up for work yesterday but we were told we had all been made redundant.

"I've lost £4,000 in commission I've earned since the start of December. It feels like we have been stabbed in the back from a distance.

"That money is so important to me and my family. What a nightmare start to the new year."

Bowater Home Improvements was founded in Norwich in 1969 as Zenith Windows and is one of the UKís biggest home improvements companies with annual sales of around £77m.

But a drastic fall in customer orders plunged Bowater into financial difficulties.

The directors put the company up for sale at Christmas but found no-one willing to buy the business.

After the firm's bank withdrew its support, the business was placed into administration.

Administrators from accountants Grant Thornton agreed a sale of the Staybrite and Zenith brands as well as 30 of its 58 sales offices and installation centres to competitor the Weatherseal Group but none of those were in Sussex.

Another worker from the Worthing office said: "I've only been at the company a few months so I haven't lost too much, but others have lost thousands.

"It means that all the hours I worked since December 24 I will not get paid for. The sales reps are classed as self-employed and there is nothing we can do about it. It's a kick in the teeth.

"We're not the only people in the world to be made redundant but when it hits you it really affects you. We have all got families and bills to pay."

Customers who have placed orders with Bowater will be contacted in the next few weeks by Weatherseal which has acquired the Zenith and Staybrite names and the company's £9m order book, and will now be carrying out the installations.

Grant Thornton recommended households with Zenith Staybrite windows and conservatories still under guarantee contact the Glass and Glazing Federation to see if it will back their guarantee.

The Argus yesterday contacted Bowater at its head office in Norwich, but a spokeswoman refused to comment.