THE final chapter in the 100-year history of a former major employer in Evesham is likely to be written later this month.

An application is being made in the High Court on Friday, July 16, for the discharge of the Administration Order under the Insolvency Act and for the release of the Joint Administrators for Sill Limited, formerly Willmotts Limited, Swan Lane, Evesham.

Paul Boyle, joint administrator with John Harrison, both of Harrisons, business recovery and insolvency specialists, of Reading, has also presented a petition for the company to be wound up.

Barclays Bank Plc has recovered its £135,823 and preferential creditor claims by the Inland Revenue of £45,870 for PAYE and £47,526 NIC, Customs and Excise £16,917, the National Insurance Fund £25,518 and employees £1,200, a total of £137,033, settled, but Mr Boyle said: "Insufficient funds have been realised to enable me to pay a dividend to unsecured creditors whose claims were estimated to total £990,562."

The company's business can be traced back for more than 100 years, although it did not incorporate as a limited company until January 1966. The company was a leader in the field of manufacture of specialised cases, including those housing delicate engineering and medical equipment, spectacles, coins and medals, employing at the time of the administration order in August 1998 171 full-time and 10 part-time staff.

Mr Boyle explained: "The company's business suffered as a result of cheap Chinese imports and the relative strength of Sterling which contributed to the company recording a loss of £472,00 in the year ended December 1997, with a resultant strain on the company's cash flow."

The company traded under the joint administrators' control from August to December 1998 when the business was sold. The site has subsequently been converted and developed for housing.