The collapse of the company which tried to bring the Formula One British Grand Prix to Donington Park has left many firms fighting for survival.

Donington Ventures Leisure went into administration owing £4.8m to more than 300 firms and public bodies, documents revealed yesterday.

The company collapsed in November after failing to raise the £120m needed to ensure the track could host the British Grand Prix.

The documents showed the firm, fronted by businessman Simon Gillett, owed £139,000 to Leicestershire police and £83,000 to St John Ambulance.

It also owed hundreds of thousands of pounds to 40 other county businesses and organisations.

The owner of one of those companies, which was owed £33,000, suffered a stroke brought on by the stress of struggling to keep his business afloat.

Mark Walsh, of Walsh & Gubb, in Loughborough, which installed safety barriers at the track, said: "It's a lot of money for a company of our size. They totally knackered me up.

"They kept promising they would pay us. We've had to lay two people off and we are still having financial problems. I can't see us ever getting back any of the money."

Mr Walsh was forced to take out a loan against the value of his family home to keep the business going and had to cancel his family holiday.

The worry finally took its toll and caused him to have a stroke in August.

"The doctor said it was stress," he said. "He's told me I can't go back to work until Easter."

Another company, Estate Cleaners, of Narborough, is owed £125,000 after carrying out cleaning work at Donington.

Partner Dave Olley said: "It's caused massive problems for us because it's a big chunk of money. There's zero chance of us getting it back."

Ken Dewsbury, a partner at Kenway Construction, of Loughborough, which carried out ground maintenance, said it was owed £12,000 and did not expect to get it back.

"I was ringing them every week and they just kept promising I would get it the next week," he said. "The hurtful thing is if they called asking us to do some work, we would be up there the next day."

Castle Donington Parish Council is owed £12,690 in unpaid fees connected to Donington Market.

Council chairman Chris Hills said: "It means we won't be able to fund projects in the village."

Donington Ventures, which had a 150-year lease for the track, won a 17-year contract to host the British Grand Prix.

But the deal was scrapped after Donington Ventures failed to raise the £120m needed to bring the circuit up to standard. Rival track Silverstone was handed the 17-year contract instead.