WORKERS sacked by claims firm The Accident Group say they are still owed thousands of pounds in wages as it was announced their former employer is £100 million in debt.

Liquidators of the Manchester-based personal injury group have revealed that a huge sum is still owed to creditors but former workers say their debts should be settled first.

The company, which specialised in fighting compensation battles, axed 2,500 workers in May - many of them from Bolton - after administrators were called in.

Today, a Bolton man who found out about his job loss by text message says he is still owed around £1,000.

Russell King, who had worked as a sales canvasser for four months, said: "I've heard nothing despite phone calls and letters. Other people have been paid and it's a bit worrying because I'm supposed to be going to university in September. People have been left in a real mess by this.

"It's only right that the workers get paid before they start handing money out other businesses.

"There were rumours that there was something wrong in the last few days but it still came as a shock."

The Department of Trade and Industry said they had already dealt with more than 2,000 claims by unpaid workers but could not comment on individual cases.

Administrators were called in after the firm suffered a poor success rate in pursuing compensation battles and subsequently incurred heavy losses.

The Accident Group became market leaders in the compensation claims field since they were set up in 1993, but came under fire for the use aggressive sales tactics.