MYSTERY still surrounded the closure of a chain of local estate agents today.

As reported in later editions of yesterday's BEN, hundreds of people buying and selling houses were left in limbo when branches of Dillons', including the Bolton base in Bradshawgate, shut without warning over the weekend.

But today Dillons' boss, Paul Kiely, had still not made a statement about the company's future.

Official receivers in Manchester said they had not been notified of any problems at the firm, which only started trading last year.

But today there was still no sign of activity at the estate agents' bases in Bradshawgate or Bury.

Steven Keane, partner at Knightsbridge Business Sales, an independent firm which operates in offices above Dillons', said he had been given no warning that his neighbours were about to leave.

"They were here as usual on Friday, but had left by the time we came back to work on Monday. They had just disappeared," he said. "It was a surprise because they had seemed quite busy."

Mr Kiely was unavailable when the BEN tried contacting him at home in Tottington or at Bury-based housing developers Kiely Homes.

A member of staff at Kiely Homes, which strongly denied allegations of shoddy workmanship in a recent TV documentary, said she was unsure when the businessman would make a statement.

"I'm not sure when he'll be in the office," she said yesterday.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.