Snook said he was among the first wave of Rok employees to get the boot by administrator PwC last week.

A spokesman at Rok’s customer helpline confirmed to the Plymouth Herald that Snook sent the e-mail to employees shortly after he was shown the door by administrators.

One former employee said that the apparently upbeat message summed up Snook’s management style “to a tee”.

In the email, Snook hinted that other parties were to blame for Rok’s devastating collapse, writing: “In the coming weeks and months you will read and hear lots of rumour and conjecture as to why we went into administration.

“I would love to tell you what I think caused it but I would probably be sued and that’s a problem I could do without.”

Snook urged axed Rok workers facing a bleak Christmas to regard Rok’s implosion as a “new beginning,” writing: “As somebody said to me today, ‘now is our chance to go and spread the things we learned into other businesses’.”

A former Rok employee said: “It makes sad reading.

“It more or less says that others were to blame, when ultimately, I think it was down to him and his management team.”