The administrators were called in to the haulage and shipping business, whose services include the transport of large paper reels to many of the UK's leading national and regional news groups, after the directors established that it was suffering from "acute cash flow pressures".

FRP Advisory is now marketing the business, which employs 250 staff throughout the UK, while working with customers and suppliers to assess the viability of the group and several of its subsidiaries and to try to ensure the companies continue trading while a buyer is sought.

However, the joint administrators warned that it was "possible that during the administration process there will be redundancies within the Group" adding that there could be further announcements on this front in due course.

Rowley, a senior partner at FRP, said: "We are highly focused on working with the Group’s customers and suppliers and in engaging with interested parties. In line with economic issues facing many businesses, Charles Gee has faced challenging trading conditions for a number of years and despite the support of its loyal customer base, recent cash flow problems have prompted the need to seek the protection of administration."

Charles Gee Group has operations in Tilbury, Felixstowe, Kings Lynn, Birkenhead, Didcot, Chatham, Aylesford, Harmondsworth, London, Kingston-Upon-Hull, Clevedon and Bridgewater.

It supplies large UK and other European industrial manufacturers and support services firms.