A UK cinema chain has collapsed into administration putting a number of Scottish jobs at risk.

Empire Cinemas, which has a location in Clydebank, was forced to close six locations after suffering during the pandemic and seeing a dwindling number of cinemagoers since.

Around 150 jobs have been lost after six cinemas were closed with immediate effect, according to joint administrators at BDO.

Empire's Clydebank Cinema remains open and trading while BDO group administrators look for a buyer.

Cinemas in Bishop’s Stortford, Catterick Garrison, Sunderland, Swindon, Walthamstow and Wigan have closed. The already-shut site in Sutton Coldfield will not reopen.

People and staff turned up to cinemas on Friday to find notes on windows explaining that it was closing down, according to local reports.

Chief executive of Empire, Justin Ribbons, said in a note on the company’s website on Friday: “As a consequence of Covid-19, where we were mandated by Government to close down our cinema chain in its entirety for protracted periods in 2020 and 2021, this left us with a high fixed cost base and no income.

“Cinema attendance levels have not yet returned to pre-Covid-19 levels and the operating environment remains extremely challenging.

“It has been a difficult economic environment for any business to manage through without long-term damage and having exhausted all other available options for the business, we firmly believe that this process can be a platform to restructure the business and preserve as many of our cinemas and the maximum number of jobs as possible.”

People who have bought advanced tickets for films at the affected cinemas will be refunded. Gift cards, ticket e-codes, guest passes and readmission tickets will be valid at the sites remaining open, including Clydebank.

Business restructuring partners Tony Nygate, John Strowger and Danny Dartnaill were appointed as joint administrators at BDO.