The collapse of a Suffolk-based specialist travel company has left dozens of clients needing help with transportation stranded.

Link Travel, which was based at Ashbocking, near Ipswich, went into receivership on Friday afternoon – ceasing trading immediately.

Its manager Edwin Rosier contacted clients and the facilities they use, including day centres and schools, over the weekend to tell them it would be unable to provide any further transport.

Five members of staff have lost their jobs as a result of the collapse.

The company, which has been running for more than 20 years, provided transport taking those with special requirements to receive the care or education they needed.

It had 14 contracts to carry people on behalf of Suffolk County Council – carrying three school-age children and a total of 34 adults.

A message on its website said: “Link Travel (Contracts) Ltd has now ceased trading. We thank our staff and all of our customers and suppliers for their support over the years and wish you and your loved ones all the very best for the future.”

A spokesman for the county council said officials were looking into alternative transport solutions and all its clients should be told of new arrangements that were being made within the next 48 hours.

In the case of the children, schools are now on Easter holidays in any case.

The council spokesman said there had been no changes to the company’s contract as a result of recent spending cuts that the authority had had to make.

Mr Rosier said that the company had been folded because it had “run out of money.”

He said: “We have been trading for the last 20 years and have reached the stage where we could not continue. We have managed to keep going longer than maybe we first thought, but eventually we just ran out of money.”

The clients had a very good relationship with the drivers and he appreciated that the news would be disappointment to many.