The Scottish skiing industry has suffered a severe setback following the announcement that two of its leading resorts – Glenshee and Glencoe – have been put up for sale.

Glenshee, totalling 2,000 acres, has the UK’s largest ski lift system and has 38 runs totalling 40 km.

Glencoe, which has relied on voluntary staff to keep it open this winter, has 19 runs on its 200-hectare area totalling 20km in length. It was also the first commercial ski centre in Scotland when it opened in 1956.

Company owners said the two resorts had racked up a loss of £1m in the past two years.

The decision to put the resorts up for sale comes just a day after a political magazine, The Economist, claimed the Scottish skiing industry had received nearly £20m in subsidies from the taxpayer.

According to some reports, visitor numbers to Scottish ski resorts have plummeted by 70 per cent over the past 15 years.

The staff at Glenshee and Glencoe – 13 full time and around 150 part-time employees – were told that this would be their last season under the current management. Details: www.ski-glenshee.co.uk