HUNDREDS of construction jobs have been lost following the collapse of Scottish firm Dunne Group.

The firm, which has its head office in Bathgate, West Lothian, stopped work at its sites on Tuesday as it entered administration, with the immediate loss of 524 jobs.

Workers were sent home from multiple sites around the country with little information, only for the firm to later confirm its collapse.

FRP Advisory have been appointed as administrators to Dunne Group, which also has sites in Glasgow, Leeds, Dublin and London, and its five subsidiaries.

Joint administrator Tom MacLennan said: "This is a sad loss for the construction and building industry. The business faced substantial trading losses on some contracts, leading to severe cash flow pressures.

"Additionally, rapid expansion led to pressure on working capital and a requirement for significant additional funding that was not available.

"Given these issues, the joint administrators have had to cease trading, resulting in 524 employees being made redundant. A team of 16 staff will be retained to assist with the closure process and realisation of the business' assets.

"Our priority is to work closely with all agencies and services to ensure employees receive every support and assistance at this very difficult time."

Construction union UCATT said it will work to ensure that workers are not left out of pocket for work they have carried out.

Steve Dillon, regional secretary of UCATT Scotland, said: "Contractors and clients approved and appointed Dunne Group to undertake work on their projects. They should have made financial checks to ensure the company was stable.

"It should not be the workers who have to pick up the bill for the company's collapse."

Workers took to social media in a bid to find what was happening after being sent home with no information on Tuesday morning.

One worker, Ben Charles Addison, wrote on Facebook: "Has anyone heard news about Dunne group as I'm on the books with them and was sent home this morning but no one has said anything?"

He later posted that he had received a text message from staff at head office telling him that the firm had gone into administration.

Gordon Fleming also wrote: "A lot of men chasing money now that Dunne Group shut up shop."

Contractors are also understood to have been trying to contact the firm without success.

Dunne Group was founded in 2001 and initially operated as a concrete specialist before branching out into design and construction. It also has a plant hire division, called CLR, which has a fleet of cranes, excavators and concreting equipment.

The firm is wholly owned by 49-year-old civil engineer Gordon Dunne, who is originally from Ireland.

Dunne Group's turnover last year was £74 million and was forecast to reach £96m this year.

It was involved in the creation of the new Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow and also carried out high profile work in London, including 100 Bishopsgate.