by business editor Trevor Sturgess

Housing chiefs have reassured Kent residents that repairs will not be affected by the collapse of Connaught.

The repair and maintenance business, which won a 2008 Loo of the Year award for the cleanliness of two toilets at Dover ferry terminal, went into administration yesterday putting some 4,400 jobs at risk.

Town and Country Housing Group, based in Tunbridge Wells and owning more than 2,000 homes across the county, used Connaught for housing repairs.

In a statement, the group said the Exeter-based contractor would no longer be involved.

"We would like to reassure residents that we have made arrangements with other contractors so that we can maintain our repairs service," it said.

"The main contractors we will be using are Osborne and Rok. We may also use some smaller contractors as necessary."

The administration covers two major parts of the Connaught business, Connaught Partnerships and parent company Connaught Plc. Separate companies Connaught Environmental and Connaught Compliance are not in administration.

Connaught Partnerships, with its HQ in Leeds, employs around 4,400 people that repair and maintain properties owned by social housing associations like Town and Country.

Mhs Homes, based in Medway, said it was not affected because it runs its own repairs division and has not used Connaught.

KPMG administrator Richard Heis said: "We will work closely with customers, employees, subcontractors and alternative providers to ensure services are maintained as far as possible and contracts and employees are transferred to alternative providers."

Town and Country owns homes in Maidstone, Medway, Canterbury, Dover, Gravesham, Thanet, Shepway, Tonbridge and Malling, Dartford and Sevenoaks.

In 2008, Connaught won a Loo of the Year award for its cleaning efforts at Dover ferry terminal.

Two toilets - at the Travel Centre and the Cruise Terminal - were judged the best at any ferry port in the country.