They said they were making 134 employees in the contracting division, David McLean Contractors, redundant.

The administrators, from accountants Deloitte, had previously announced the closure of the division.

The group employed a total of 320 people – 130 of them at its head office on Deeside Industrial Park.

The David McLean group was founded in 1972 and also had offices in Cardiff and Shrewsbury with a turnover of £160m.

At the time of going into administration it was estimated that the company had debts of over £100m.

However, it is still hoped that large parts of the housebuilding operation can be saved.

The administrator has confirmed that there have been no redundancies at David McLean Homes, and it continues to trade this business with a view to selling it as a going concern.