Scores of happy couples are facing heartbreak after a luxury hotel and wedding venue suddenly closed.

%image(14640179, type="article-full", alt="Wedding venue Lenwade House Hotel has closed "with immediate effect". Picture: Denise Bradley")

Lenwade House Hotel, off Fakenham Road, has ceased trading with "immediate effect" - leaving confusion for those who have made bookings for weddings and other events.

It is not yet known how many jobs have been lost.

%image(14639910, type="article-full", alt="Wedding venue Lenwade House Hotel has closed "with immediate effect". Picture: Denise Bradley")

A statement sent to those with bookings and reservations points to financial difficulties as the main reason behind the closure.

It reads: "We regret to announce that the company operating Lenwade House Hotel has ceased trading and will therefore be unable to host your wedding celebration booked with us.

%image(14639768, type="article-full", alt="Laura Black and Catalin Birladeanu have lost £1,000 following the closure of Lenwade House Hotel. Picture: Courtesy of Laura Black")

"The company has experienced great difficulty trading in this difficult economic climate and now finds that it is unable to pay all of its debts.

The statement continues: "To avoid making this situation any worse than it is, we have taken the very difficult decision to close the doors with immediate effect as is our legal obligation.

%image(14639910, type="article-full", alt="Wedding venue Lenwade House Hotel has closed "with immediate effect". Picture: Denise Bradley")

"We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience or upset this difficult decision has caused and wish you all the very best in rearranging your celebrations with another venue."

Norwich couple Calum Simpson and Lorraine Farman are among those looking for a new wedding location.

They booked their special event two-and-a-half years ago and were due to get married there on August 1 this year.

Mr Simpson said the couple became worried after seeing posts on social media and went to the venue and found nobody there.

He said: "One of our wedding providers for the wedding service phoned up and said 'have you seen this?' "We went up there this morning [Saturday] there was no-one around. Fortunately we have wedding insurance."