Doomed travel firm advertised cut price sale to lure MORE customers just hours before its collapse

BUDGET travel firm Lowcostholidays tried to tempt new customers with a 60per cent sale just hours before it went bust.

At 10am yesterday the troubled firm tweeted "Summer sale - up to 60pc off - extended ends midnight Tues 19 Jul".

Just hours later the company ceased trading, leaving thousands of holidaymakers in limbo.

Angry customers took to social media labelling the tweet "sickening" and "disgusting".

Jen O'C (@jld_jlo) tweeted: "Disgrace tweeting this when you knew full well you were going bust. Thanks for the warning, our transfer has been cancelled ????"

Ian Collier (@ipcollier) tweeted: "Shameful practises of some online companies #lowcostholidays #bust #the day before #really."

More than 27,000 people already on holidays booked through Lowcostholidays Travelgroup are poised to hear whether or not they will be left stranded abroad.

A further 110,000 customers have been warned future breaks are likely to be affected.

Uncertainty following the EU referendum and the fall of the pound were blamed for the company's demise. But the Civil Aviation Authority had warned consumers to avoid booking breaks with the company in 2013 after it relocated to Spain.

Administrator Smith and Williamson said "intense competition" and the "increased terror threat" pushed the struggling country over the edge.

Smith and Williamson said customer's flight bookings would be valid in "almost all cases", but hotels would need to be paid for.

Harry Hitchcock (@HarryHitchcock) tweeted: "Thanks lowcostholidays, love forking out another 500 euros for a holiday we've already paid for????."

Vicki Esson (‏@avonrepskent) said: "So angry and gutted about our booking and loss of hard earned money #lowcostholidays."

The company failed to inform its customers directly that their holidays maybe at risk. Instead thousands received the news through social media.