A MALDON business is owed thousands of pounds by collapsed retailer Wilko, it has been revealed.

A statement of affairs submitted to Companies House confirms Werner UK Sales and Distribution is owed £16,831 by the defunct retail chain.

The ladder manufacturer’s global headquarters is located in The Causeway.

Another 13 businesses across Essex are owed money by Wilko, with the total debt owed to the county’s firms totalling more than £1.25million.

Documents released by Wilko’s administrators reveal the budget retail chain, which sold homeware and household goods, owes £157,261,588 to its creditors.

Maldon and Burnham Standard: All 400 of Wilko's stores have now closedAll 400 of Wilko's stores have now closed (Image: PA)

Hundreds of businesses are owed money by the collapsed company which closed its final stores last week after 93 years on the high street.

Administrators at PwC were forced to sell off Wilko’s assets after failing to secure a rescue deal.

The closure of its Clacton store, in Station Road, in September was followed by a final day of trading in St John’s Walk, Colchester, last Tuesday.

The closing day saw the prices of remaining stock slashed by 80 per cent across the store, with some staff members taking to the street later in the afternoon to tell passersby prices would be slashed by a further ten per cent.

Wilko’s demise placed more than 12,000 jobs at risk, with documents prepared by PwC suggesting more than £5.5million is owed to the firm’s employees.

A member of staff from the Colchester store said she was “very emotional” about the closure of the store.

More than 420,000 jobs in the retail industry have been lost since 2010, sparking fears that the high street may be in “terminal decline”, according to the GMB union.

Its national officer Andy Prendergast said: “These shocking figures are a wake-up call that Wilko was not the first, and it will not be the last.”

Wilko hired administrators after it came under pressure from weak consumer spending and debts to suppliers.

A £5million purchase of the brand by competitor The Range will see the rival sell Wilko products “in-store”, although it is currently not expected to set up standalone Wilko shops.

Werner and PwC were approached for comment by the Standard.