A personal injury firm has been shut down owing more than £560,000 to medical expert companies.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority intervened yesterday to close Manchester-based Mendell Solicitors Limited to protect the interests of clients or former clients. The intervention also applies to the firm’s sole shareholder, Barrie Mendell.

The decision follows the company entering voluntary liquidation earlier this month, with its registered address becoming that of Lancashire insolvency firm Leonard Curtis.

A statement of the company’s affairs, published on 2 February, revealed the firm’s total outstanding debt was £738,000.

The two major creditors are medical diagnosis agencies Speed Medical Examination Services Limited and Tri Star Medicals Limited, owed £421,431 and £141,057 respectively.

Financial services firm the Wesleyan Assurance Society is owed £53,586, expert witness firm Laird Assessors is owed £34,516 and claims investigation company Ravenstone UK is owed £47,653. Four-figure sums are also owed to HM Revenue & Customs and Manchester City Council.

The statement says that total assets come to just £30,625, which will be made available for unsecured creditors.

According to a notice published on 8 February, a liquidation committee has been formed, with Speed Medical and Tri Star Medicals both sitting as members.