A CUMBERNAULD company which has provided sports turf and pitch services to Scottish Premiership football clubs such as Rangers and Partick Thistle has gone bust, with nearly 50 jobs expected to be axed.

Administrators have been called in to Souters Sports, which was founded in 2000, after it succumbed to pressure from creditors and increased competition in the artificial sports pitch market. The majority of its 47-strong workforce, which included 37 staff in Cumbernauld and 10 in Knutsford, Cheshire, have been made redundant.

Paul Dounis, joint administrator at RSM, said: “Following a difficult trading position, measures have been taken to protect assets and realisations for creditors through the administration process.

“Regrettably due to viability and the seasonality of work, we have made to make the majority of the workforce redundant and we are assisting all employees with their claims. We have however retained a small number of employees to complete certain high-profile contracts and to assist the administrators in their duties. The business has a strong pipeline of projects for the next year and we would invite any interested parties to get in touch.”

The company’s website shows it has worked in the past for Rangers at Ibrox Stadium, and Partick Thistle at its Firhill ground in Glasgow.