CLOSURE of Allders at Clifton Moor shopping centre has been delayed - and staff at the doomed store complained that they have been cast into limbo.

Originally the store was due to close to the public on March 20 and employees were expected to tie up all the loose ends by March 25 at which point they would receive their redundancy pay.

Now they have been told that the new date for closure to the public will be April 1, plus another four days to empty the premises, although should the need arise the delay could continue to mid-April. A spokesman for administrators Kroll said: "The delay has enabled us to sell stock at Clifton Moor from other closing Allders elsewhere in the country.

"We have gained agreement from all the parties involved to keep the store open until April 1, but if we can extend it beyond that we will. We have agreed to offer loyalty bonuses to staff to stay until it shuts."

The spokesman added the longer the Clifton Moor store stayed open there was a choice to negotiate with any potential buyer of the premises, should one come forward, although he agreed that, as there had been no interest from potential buyers since January 21, this was now unlikely. "We have had to have the delay to protect the interests of creditors," he said.

The delay has not met the approval of all the employees at Clifton Moor.

"It's really frustrating," said Margaret Marsden, sales adviser in the furniture and bed department, an Allders employee for 11 years. "I have applied for other jobs and told would-be employers that I would be available on March 25. Now that closure is being delayed until mid-April I don't know if these jobs will still be available. If I did start on March 25 I would lose my redundancy entitlement which amounts to about £2,200. It's like being cast into limbo."

Another staff member who preferred not to be named, said the success of her store's closing down sale meant the closure of other stores was being hastened at Clifton Moor's expense.

Of the 42 staff at the Clifton Moor store when its closure was announced last month, eight have now left to find other employment.

Updated: 10:27 Tuesday, March 15, 2005