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The liquidator of a world - famous cosmetic surgery centre near Cambridge which has gone bust says he is "quietly optimistic" a buyer will be found.

The News exclusively revealed earlier this month how the Cambridge Private Hospital, in Wimpole, had closed down because people could not afford its expensive procedures amid the credit crunch.

All of its employees, numbering up to 30, have now been made redundant, and some patients who pre - paid for operations are currently out of pocket. But Ian Carr, of Cambridge, accountants Grant Thornton, said there had been an "encouraging" level of interest from prospective buyers in the UK and Ireland, and that all clients who had not been treated should get their money back.

Mr Carr - who has been appointed as the hospital's liquidator and ran Cambridge United when it was in administration - suggested staff might get their jobs back if the centre reopens.

He said: "A number of interested parties who would like to run the premises as a hospital have come forward and negotiations are ongoing at the moment.

"The interest is encouraging and hopefully things will move forward in the next couple of weeks - I am quietly optimistic we will be able to do a deal. It is important to get a sale done as soon as possible to limit the impact of the hospital's closure."

Although the decision on which staff to employ would lie with any new owner, Mr Carr said it would be "logical" to take any former workers who were still available back on.

The hospital was set up in the 1990s by top plastic surgeon Anthony Erian and became popular with royalty and movie stars who preferred its secluded location to London clinics.

Four years ago it was purchased by private hospital tycoon Sean Leyden but amid the economic downturn, interest in plastic surgery has slumped.

Facelifts at the Wimpole centre started at £3,750, while liposuction cost at least £7,000.

Mr Carr added: "I think it's fair to say any discretionary spending would be cut in the current economic climate, and cosmetic surgery is part of that."