Employees who were locked out of their workplaces are chasing thousands of pounds in unpaid wages and redundancy payments.
Workers at the Montrose and Arbroath branches of the Laundry Shop are out of pocket after showing up one morning last month only to find the doors locked and the company in liquidation.
It has also emerged customers are waiting for their clothing to be returned from branches in Peasiehill Road, Arbroath, and New Wynd, Montrose.
Staff in Montrose were told builders would be in to carry out repairs however, they began to take machinery away on February 6.
One woman said: “I asked the gentleman who ran the business why they were doing that and he said it was ‘to be on the safe side’ and it would be put in storage.”
The worker, who asked not to be named, did her best to arrange for customers to pick their laundry up, but has since had to hand her keys back.
It has been reported around 17 staff are affected by the sudden closure in Arbroath alone.
The Courier has contacted the former office of The Laundry Shop (Arbroath) Ltd, at Forest Park Place in Dundee, but the owner has not taken up the opportunity to comment.
The answering machine at the Arbroath and Montrose shops are full or disconnected.
Staff member William Lindsay said he was still in shock at the turn of events after he turned up for work early last week.
He said: “I arrived at work and all the shutter doors were wide open. I heard everyone screaming and shouting and there was rubbish everywhere all over the floor.”
Last July a worker at the Montrose shop was awarded more than £5,000 after an employment tribunal ruled he had been unfairly dismissed.
He had worked there for nine years.
The firm did not enter a response to the claim within the statutory period and a default judgment was issued.
One worker said she had already been made homeless after late wages meant she was unable to keep up with payments on her accommodation.
Paige Whitelaw, 20, said: “I phoned my mum and I was crying because I had lost my job and have lost my house. I don’t know what I am going to do.”