Police were called to a failing Leeds care home during a dispute between staff and the owner.
Workers at the 27-bed Sandfield House residential home, in Sandfield Avenue, Headingley, said they feared for their jobs as the last resident had moved out on Monday.
A staff meeting was called yesterday and colleagues arrived to find the owner boarding up doors at the back of the property.
Christine Mullins, who has worked at Sandfield for 13 years, said there were around 12 employees, some of whom had worked at the home for around 20 years.
The 60-year-old kitchen assistant and cleaner said: “None of us know where we stand at all. He was boarding it up before we even got here.”
Staff fear the home is to be closed down without any warning. But the owner, who did not want to be named, said the exits were being boarded up because the building had been burgled twice in the past month.
He said he had organised the meeting so he could “reiterate” that a new owner was going to be taking over. And he insisted there was no need for workers to worry about their futures.
“No-one has been sacked or is being made redundant.
“They are all still in jobs and they are going to get paid, whether they do any caring or not.”
The facility had previously housed around 15 residents who were suffering with dementia but most had been moved elsewhere by Leeds City Council by the end of last year, after the health care watchdog deemed Sandfield in need of improvement.
An inspection found the home failed to meet four out of five national standards set by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
It was judged as failing in areas such as having enough qualified, experienced or skilled staff; and the CQC found residents did not always experience care, treatment or support that met their needs and were not protected from the risk of infection.
The owner of the home said the sale of the property was under way but the changeover had been delayed because the new owner was still in the process of registering with the CQC.
A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police said officers had spoken to both parties but no action would be taken as it was a civil matter.