Customers of a luxury kitchen company in Wilmslow have been left in the lurch after the firm went bust and shut up shop.

One woman says she is ‘desperate’ after paying £12,000 to Quattro Kitchens on Water Lane, which has ceased trading and gone into administration.

Caroline Morgan complained to trading standards officers after she paid the deposit in April to shop owner Tony Crolla, 50, for a modern Italian kitchen, but never received her order.

Caroline, of Trap Street, Lower Withington, says she was told her new kitchen would be fitted in the first week of September. She ripped out her old one in June and has been without running water or working appliances since.

She says she was told in September there was a delay with her order, which was coming from kitchen company Biefbi in Italy and the shop said it was being shipped from Ireland last week.

When it didn’t arrive, she went to the shop and found it abandoned.

Caroline has had no contact since with Mr Crolla – whose surname reads Crollalanza on his business card – and she says Biefbi never received her money or processed her order.

Caroline said: "I trusted him – I paid him the deposit for a beautiful modern Italian kitchen and he had been to my house to do the final measurements. I couldn’t believe it when I found the shop empty."

A spokes-man for neighbouring shop Cartridge World said Quattro customers had been coming in every day asking if he knew how to get hold of Mr Crolla, of Grains Bar, Oldham.

Insolvency company Adcroft Hilton in Blackpool has taken over the administration of Quattro. Roslyn Hilton, of Adcroft Hilton, said there are four customers who have paid for kitchens but not received them.

She said: "Quattro ceased trading a week ago. We haven’t managed to find the kitchens which have been ordered yet, but will keep working on this.

"The company will go into liquidation on November 25, when the liquidators will take control of Mr Crolla’s assets to see if they can recover money for the creditors.

"We have heard from three customers at the moment but understand there are four who are owed money."

A spokesman for Cheshire East Council would not confirm a complaint had been lodged with trading standards or make any comment. No comment had been received from Mr Crolla as we went to press.