A WELL-KNOWN family run motor business has ceased trading.

D Kitchen Ltd in Trafalgar Street, Burnley, owned by the Blackadder family, closed its doors for the last time on Jan-uary 23.

Bosses at the third gen-eration family business, which included car sales, after care and servicing, told shocked staff the same day they would no longer have jobs.

The business, which was established in Colne, had gone from strength to strength during the past decade. A statement on behalf of the firm reads: “The directors would like to thank our cust-omers who have supported us over the years and it is with deep regret that we had to cease trading.”

D Kitchen Ltd sold the adjacent service station, car wash, Spar shop and the upstairs car showroom to the Blackburn-based Kay Group in 2007.

In December 2011, the deal-ership decided to vacate the upstairs showroom as bosses said that it was not financially viable but continued to run out of the downstairs units.

Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph in March last year, Louise Phillips and David Blackadder, directors of Kit-chens reassured customers saying : “We took the decision to vacate the upstairs show-room at Christmas as it was not financially viable. How-ever we would like to stress that the business is still up and running and that we are still provide all services that we have before.”