TEN more companies in the Carillion group were liquidated at the High Court in London today as the fallout from the collapse of the outsourcing giant continued.

Mr Justice Nugee made winding-up orders against the 10 companies and the official receiver was appointed their liquidator.

The official receiver asked for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to be appointed special managers of the companies, which was granted.

PwC, which acts as special manager of the other wound-up Carillion companies, was fiercely criticised earlier this week by Labour MP Frank Field, chair of the work and pension select committee.

Mr Field said: “PwC managed to play all three sides — the company, pension schemes and the government — to the tune of £21 million and are now being paid to preside over the carcass of the company as special managers.”

The High Court heard that the Carillion group’s “total indebtedness” was “approximately £1.3 billion,” in addition to liabilities of around £587m from its defined benefit pension scheme and another £350m owed to suppliers.

Matthew Abraham, for the companies’ directors, told the court that, of the debts across the group, “between 0.8 and 6.6 pence in the pound” was expected to be recovered.

Andrew Westwood, for the official receiver, told the court that 17 other Carillion firms “have been ordered to be wound up” since last month, adding that there were “still a large number” of companies to be dealt with.

Nearly 1,000 jobs have been lost since Carillion went into liquidation last month, with just 6,668 jobs secured out of the previous directly employed workforce of 18,000.