Employees shocked as driving school shuts down

NxtGen Driving Academy was based in Stowmarket but its instructors taught students across the region

A driving school which taught motorists across the East of England will be put into liquidation after bosses said they "had no choice" but to shut down the company.

NxtGen Driving Academy, part of the NG Driving Group Ltd, based in Stowmarket, Suffolk, has appointed AMS Business Recovery Limited as liquidators after it ceased trading.

Employees told the BBC the decision came "out of the blue" during an online meeting on Monday and that losing their jobs so close to Christmas was "gut-wrenching".

A spokesperson said: "We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience and loss you may experience through this process that we have had no choice but to take."

According to the company's website, NxtGen Driving Academy described itself as "one of the fastest growing driving schools in East Anglia".

Instructors were based across Suffolk, Norfolk, Staffordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Sussex, North Wales and Cheshire.

The BBC understands about 20 of them were directly employed by the company, while others rented its vehicles and had their own franchises.

'Shell shock'

Staff received an email on Sunday telling them they had to attend an "immediate" online meeting the following morning about the "future running of the business".

During that meeting, they were informed the company was no longer trading and they would have to remove any branded company stickers from their vehicles.

"It has been a massive shock because we didn't see it coming and it is a 'rug pulled from under you' feeling," one instructor told the BBC.

"It was such a shell shock because it is coming up to Christmas and it was gut-wrenching – I don't even know if I am going to get paid.

"We are there for the students at the end of the day but we knew nothing."

'Nightmare'

Another instructor, who ran his own franchise, described the situation as a "nightmare", but admitted he actually might be better off as a result of it.

"It was a shock for everyone. It is a bit mean because they have put everyone under pressure and it is unfair," they said.

"But it has worked very well for me as I was paying £1,400 a month to have the franchise and now I am just going to lease a car for £500, so I am better off.

"They never said anything about being in trouble – everyone thought the company was doing well."

Parent Hollie Newton fears her son will not get the money he paid for lessons refunded

Concerns have also been raised about whether students who had paid for lessons before the firm shut down will be refunded.

Hollie Newton, 49, from Ipswich, said her 18-year-old son paid £1,200 in July for lessons which were due to start on the day NxtGen Driving Academy closed.

"He saved that money from his first job, so he felt devastated and had these feelings of grief and anger," she said.

"On Tuesday, he didn't even get out of bed all day. He didn't eat, he didn't drink, he was just absolutely gutted.

"I don't think there is a good chance we will get our money back - we are just very small fish in a very big pond."

Joel Furmidge, from AMS Business Recovery Limited, said there might be some hope.

"It is too early to say [if people will lose money] but anybody who paid for lessons via a credit card should get their money back from their credit card provider," he said.