ANXIOUS shop workers have been left in the dark after a fabric superstore closed suddenly amid financial concerns.

Essex Fabric Warehouse, in London Road, Vange, has shut its doors to customers, with no indication given as to whether it will open again.

Upset staff claim they have not yet been paid for January, and have not been told what is likely to happen.

Christine Craft, 59, who has worked as a sales adviser at the store for the past 11-and-a-half years, said she is struggling to pay her bills.

She said: “We should have been paid on Tuesday, January 26, and two days later we got a call from the boss telling us to close the store.

“They’ve put a notice on the door saying it has closed temporarily, but I just think it’s really bad what they have done to us as staff.

“We don’t know what’s going on and I’m in a terrible position financially with no money in the bank.

“I’ve got nothing and I’ve got bills I need to pay.”

Fabric Warehouse, which is owned by Caldeira UK, operates 12 stores in the south east of England and the Midlands.

The website for Fabric Warehouse is currently displaying “unavailable” and “down for maintenance” messages.

The company is owned by Tony Caldeira, an Essex University graduate who is standing as the Tory candidate to be mayor of Liverpool this year.

Ms Craft wrote to Prime Minister David Cameron to highlight the plight of Fabric Warehouse employees.

She received a response from a correspondence officer for Mr Cameron, indicating her letter had been forwarded to the Department for Business. Ms Craft said problems with suppliers in the weeks leading up to the store’s closure indicated it was experiencing financial problems.

She added: “We had been ordering fabrics from suppliers and it wasn’t arriving, but the staff always seem to be the last ones to find out what is going on.”

A spokesman for Caldeira said: “The business is suffering financial difficulties and all options are being explored to find a solution.

“The stores are temporarily closed and there is no time frame at the moment.”