According to British media, The Hunter Rubber Company, which dates back to 1856 and is best known for its wellington boots, has gone into administration, leaving more than 100 jobs under threat.

Richard Fleming of KPMG Corporate Recovery said the company had a turnover of around £8.3 million but had been making losses due to high manufacturing costs and from its expansion to the US.

Hunter reported a loss of £600,000 from September 2003 to the end of February 2005, when it has a net debt of £2.03 million.

However, several approaches are said to have been made by potential buyers and Mr. Fleming anticipates that the company will continue to trade while a buyer was sought.

The firm, based in Dumfries and one of the town’s largest employers, currently holds Royal Warrants from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. Production took off when the First World War broke out when the government commissioned the company to make a suitable boot for use by troops in flooded trenches.

Hunter makes up to 200,000 pairs of ‘wellies’ a year with hand-made, designer versions costing hundreds of pounds a pair. The company had recently diversified its product range in the hope of staying afloat but sales of new lines were less successful than expected.