THE credit crunch is hitting staff at Ipswich Town - despite the club being owned by multi-millionaire Marcus Evans.

Derek Davis

THE credit crunch is hitting staff at Ipswich Town - despite the club being owned by multi-millionaire Marcus Evans.

Employees at Portman Road have been told they will not get a pay increase this year, despite inflation running at 5.2 per cent, according to the consumer price index.

The pay freeze does not affect the players but has hit other staff, with around 100 people affected.

While Jon Walters became the latest player to be awarded a new contract, many of the first team squad now have potential earnings, including win bonus, of more than £10,000 per week.

The majority of staff at Ipswich Town, excluding management, earn less than £30,000 a year, and have been told more cost cutting exercises could follow.

Terry Baxter, director of communications at Ipswich Town, last night confirmed there would be no pay increase for club staff but declined to comment further.

It is understood that staff throughout the whole of the Marcus Evans Group, certainly in the UK, have been told they will not be getting a pay increase.

One Ipswich Town employee told the EADT: “This used to be a good place to work but these are tough times for us all and this is hard to take, especially with Christmas coming up.

“We have had pay deferrals, in some cases pay cuts, job losses and all sorts over the past five years or so and have been loyal. When the new owner came in we hoped the good times would come back and our wages would start going up but that has not been the case.''

Mr Evans made a reference to a £20m hole in his bank account in the club's official programme on Tuesday night.

In the same message he praised the staff and said he had the advantage of seeing at first hand “the desire, work ethic and team spirit oozing through the club.”