More than 50 jobs have been lost and a question mark has been placed over hundreds of apprentices' futures after a training company went into administration.

Norfolk Training Services, which has bases in Norwich, King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth, called in administrators who laid off the firm's 57 employees.

The company has its main office in Hall Road in Norwich and is a well-known independent provider of apprenticeships and logistics training across the county, with around 400 apprentices on its books.

Joint administrators Andrew Kelsall and Lee Green were called in today and have stopped the company trading, in order to prevent accumulating further losses.

Mr Kelsall, head of business recovery at Larking Gowen, said: 'Obviously, this is very disappointing for all involved from employees, apprentices, directors, shareholders and creditors but with the company having incurred trading losses over past months and no predicted upturn the company has simply exhausted all working capital.

'The company has been placed into administration to avoid further losses and will cease to operate from [Wednesday].

'We will contact all employers, apprentices and trainees to inform them of the situation and will enter into discussions with the Educational and Skills Funding Agency regarding the continuity and completion of apprenticeship training.'

Mr Green said that the company had previously cut staff in an effort to reduce costs, and adapt to changes in funding in the sector.

'There have been changes in this marketplace,' he said. 'The company has seen this happening and they have been trying to make changes to keep the business going.'

NTS offered driver training, logistics training, work based learning and apprenticeships, having been set up as a group training association for the transport industry in 1969.

It had built on its transport-sector roots and expanded to offer courses in customer service, health and social care, hospitality, retail, IT and management.

NTS received funding from bodies including the Skills Funding Agency, Education Funding Agency and the Department for Work and Pensions.

In April 2016, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn looked around the firm's Hall Road site with Norwich South MP Clive Lewis, when he met apprentices in the run-up to the local council elections.