Machynlleth building firms left out of pocket

Four contractors have urged the Co-operative to help them recover thousands of pounds lost while building the company's store in a Powys town.

They are owed almost £90,000 by Johnson Construction UK, which was given the contract by the Co-op to build the shop in Machynlleth.

But it has now gone into administration which means it is uncertain how much, if anything, those owed money will get.

The administrators for Johnson Construction UK said they would "continue to discharge their statutory duties in recovering value in the best interest of all creditors".

The contractors are small local businesses or individual traders who are owed sums ranging from £10,000 to £32,000.

They told BBC Wales business correspondent Brian Meechan that they had to carry on working on the shop development, despite not getting paid, in case it cost them more money.