Staff locked out as Shropshire hotel closes
A Shropshire country hotel has closed suddenly, leaving staff locked out and couples facing losing deposits for pre-booked weddings.
The doors have been locked at the Mill Hotel at Alveley – and staff who had been left in the dark over the closure were forced to try to explain to people who arrived at the venue seeking answers that it would be closed for the foreseeable future.
The hotel hosted a wedding fair on Sunday and posts went live on its Facebook page on Wednesday sharing pictures from the event. But the hotel's website, www.themill-hotel.co.uk, has been taken offline and phone calls are not being answered.
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It comes after serious financial concerns surfaced about the hotel's owner, Elysian Care Limited, which also operates care homes in the Midlands.
Wolverhampton, Dudley and Staffordshire County councils have all stepped in to support residents and staff at both Knoll House in Penn and The Homestead near Kinver after it emerged staff have not been paid for two months.
No-one from Elysian Care Ltd was available to comment today.
A chef at The Mill, who did not want to be named, said staff had been paying for events out of their own pocket to try and save the business.
He said: "The staff have not been getting paid properly for the last 13 weeks. Money has been deducted from my wages.
"We have been working like slaves to keep it going."
Simon Kitchen, 29, and his fiancee Jasmine Pardoe, 24, paid a £500 deposit to book their wedding at the hotel in October next year.
Mr Kitchen said: "I've tried calling the venue three times in the past two days but there is nothing coming out of the place at all."
Miss Pardoe said:"If it's true and the place has closed we would be devastated."
