A CARE home which shut down and gave elderly residents just six hours to leave has been put up for sale for £1.3million.

Brightcrest Ltd, which ran Astley House in Whitehall Road in Darwen, shut the home on May 29 blaming debts of almost £300,000.

But at a liquidation hearing in June it was revealed that £283,656 of the debt was owed to landlord Jason Management Ltd, which is owned by Brightcrest Ltd's majority shareholder, Professor Mohammed Iqbal Memon.

Some £15,181 is owed to nine other creditors, including £4,752 to Blackburn with Darwen Council and £194.73 to Careshop Limited of Bolton, but the council has said it is unlikely it will ever see its money again.

Stephen Sloss, director of adult social services at Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "We are advised that any action we took would have to be against the company, which is now in liquidation. For that reason, there is no point in pursuing it."

At 2pm on May 29, the families of 15 women, all of whom suffered from Alzhiemer's disease and dementia, were told that Astley House would close at 8pm the same day. Great-grandmother Alice Elsworth, 84, died just days after being evicted.

Selling agent Savills Healthcare advertise the care home as open to offers in excess of £1.3million and say it is a retirement sale after 22 years ownership'.

A new owner would also have to spend an extra £250,000 on delapidations.

When the company went into liquidation it was revealed that, of Brightcrest Ltd's debts, some £250,000 was needed towards the cost of building delapidations.

The advertisement says planning permission exists for a 57 bed care home. That includes building a 36-bed care home in the grounds and utilising the 21 beds in the existing building.

It suggests potential exists to create a larger care home with 60 to 70 beds subject to planning permission.

And planning permission is available to convert the care home into provide nine apartments and build a 36-bed care home in the grounds.

Prof Memon, of Darwen, was unavailable for comment.

A previous statement issued by him through his solicitor said: "The reason for the financial problems of Astley House was a significant drop in occupancy levels over a lengthy period of time and a number of very significant bad debts.

"Unfortunately it was not possible to give residents more notice as it would have been against the law for the company to continue trading once it was insolvent."

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