HOPES have been dashed for all 38 employees of the ill-fated car dealership DC Cook with the announcement that they are being made redundant.

The news, given to them yesterday by the official receivers, removed any hope that the Lawrence Street branch of the business might be taken over.

A Clifton Moor dealership hopes to take on at least four of the staff.

Mike Saville, a partner in the Leeds office of receivers Grant Thornton said most other DC Cook branches remained for sale "but at York there are problems with arrears owed to the landlords and it is not viable keeping it together until a buyer is found".

He said that 30 people were being made redundant immediately and the remainder would be given specific tasks over the next four or five days designed to deal with issues before closure, such as moving out the last of the vehicles.

He added that there had been "considerable expressions of interest in the DC Cook staff at York by other motor dealers".

Nina Douglas, general manager of the Dixon Renault dealership on Centurion Park, Clifton Moor, said: "We are interviewing nine DC Cook people and have so far taken on two sales staff as a result. We hope to be able to offer two mechanics jobs as well as passing on the CVs of applicants to other branches."

"It is a terrible shame for them, but we have been expanding rapidly - from five when we first arrived to 32 now."

Updated: 12:49 Thursday, February 01, 2001