HUNDREDS of advance ticket buyers were left out of pocket and angry when the Worcester Gin Festival was cancelled last month.

Now the firm behind the festival will hit the end of the road on Monday when its assets go under the auctioneer’s hammer.

West Yorkshire-based Gin Festival Limited went into administration last month after attempts to find a buyer for the struggling company failed.

The administrators handling the winding up of the business, Julian Pitts and Nick Reed of insolvency specialists Begbies Traynor, have now instructed industrial auctioneers Eddisons CJM to dispose of the firm’s remaining stock and equipment. Eddisons CJM director Paul Cooper said: “The Gin Festival premises in West Yorkshire have had to be cleared, which is why the remaining assets have been moved to our Auction Centre for the online sale next Monday, August 13

“The auction will see over 1,200 bottles of craft gin going under the hammer, some of which sold for in excess of £40. The total retail value is in excess of £50,000 . . . and I imagine considerably more than that at festival prices.”

The Worcester Gin Festival that was scheduled to take place at the Racecourse on Friday, July 20 and Saturday, July 21 was called off, as were 19 other festivals planned across the UK. Twenty thousand advance tickets had been sold for the events. Buyers have been advised to contact Paypal or their credit or debit card providers to check if they are covered for their loss.

Mr. Cooper added: “We’re also auctioning huge quantities of mixers. We reckon we have something over seven thousand bottles of those.”