Nearly 60 jobs have been axed at the long-established £20m turnover firm, headquartered in Chard .

R G Spiller, which undertook both public and private sector contracts of up to a value of £6m traced its roots back 150 years.

Andrew Howard, R G Spiller managing director and owner of non-trading parent Howard Construction called in Bishop Fleming after suffering cash flow difficulties for some time.

Jonathan Williams, a partner at Bishop Fleming said: “We looked at the possibilities of a creditors voluntary arrangement and trading for a short period to complete current contracts, but the cash requirements for this were too great.

“Accordingly, we advised the director there was no alternative but to stop trading because there were insufficient funds to make any further payments to creditors and the workforce.”