A toy store has gone bust leaving its employees owed 'thousands', they said.

Toy Galaxy, which has a shop in Witney High Street as well as three in London, announced that it was going into liquidation in an letter to staff last week.

Alan Tyla, from Witney, said for his 21-year-old son and three other staff the news "came out of the blue" and they have been left owed large amounts in unpaid wages.

The Oxford Mail has contacted Toy Galaxy for comment.

Mr Tyla said: “The owner texted them and told them not to come into work and he’d email them later.

"It’s been quiet for a while and stock had started disappearing like Lego and stuff and people started to wonder what was going on but he kept saying oh, we’re going to do a refit.

"And then it just came out of the blue on Thursday."

In the letter to workers, owner Bhav Patel apologised and said the closure was "due to financial pressures".

But Mr Tyla said: "The company is not in administration we have checked. They’re in limbo with no idea what’s going on.

“Last Thursday all of them got their wage slips but when they looked in their bank account there was no money in there.

"My son and other employees are left without a penny, and out of pocket in some cases, by £2,000 or more. 

"One of them is a young guy he’s only 17 and he’s owed a grand. They have no money. My son can’t do anything, I’ve got to support him."

He added: "He had my son checking out storage companies this week because he wanted to rent 750 square feet of storage. That’s a lot of storage. We don’t know what it’s for.

"He had a range of good bikes and replaced them with old damaged stock. They’ve also got thousands of pounds of customer orders in there so it’s going to impact a lot of people in Witney."

In the letter to workers Mr Patel said administrators from Edge Recovery would take over the company’s affairs and outstanding pay would typically be paid within 3-6 weeks.

He wrote: "Several factors have led us to this point, including a large internal theft that cost the business over £120,000, supply issues due to reduced and eventually removed credit insurance, and sudden health problems that forced me to take intermittent spells away from the business.

"The decline in sales across the retail sector, rising costs of rent, business rates, electricity, and staffing have all contributed to our financial difficulties."

He added: "Having spent the past 20 years building Toy Galaxy, it is devastating for me to see the current state of the company.

"In my effort to keep the business alive, I exhausted all resources, risking the security of my family and our home.

"I take full responsibility for this situation and deeply regret that we find ourselves here. I sincerely thank you for your dedication, hard work, and loyalty."