Assistant manager Mark Craig, 20, and kitchen porter Steven Black, 16, staged their protest at the Meldrum Arms Hotel in Oldmeldrum, Inverurie.

The pair live on food delivered in a bucket pulled up on a piece of string.

Their former employer Oxford Hotels and Inns said the duo have now been paid the £500 each in outstanding wages they are owed.

But Mr Craig and Mr Black said they would not be leaving the hotel until they had confirmation that the money was in their bank accounts.

They had both lived at the hotel until it closed for business on 9 December, but claim to have returned from a day out in Aberdeen to find the locks on the doors had been changed and they could not get in.

We closed the door behind us and rammed sofas behind it to stop them getting in Mark Craig

Mr Craig said: "We called the hotel owners and they told us it had been closed down because the license had lapsed and we no longer had jobs.

"We were speechless, especially because of their timing, it was just before Christmas and they were leaving us homeless."

Mr Black added: "We are each owed around £500 in unpaid wages and there are another 12 members of staff who have also not been paid. It's been the most miserable Christmas ever."

They finally managed to gain entry to the hotel when they were met a few days later by a representative of the owners.

They have been surviving on food brought to them by Mark's mum

Mr Craig said: "We spotted an opportunity and we made a run for it.

"We closed the door behind us and rammed sofas behind it to stop them getting in. We have been here since."

The 20-year-old's mother gets the food to them on a bucket attached to a piece of string.

Mr Craig said: "We have not left the room since then and don't intend to.

"We are disgusted that the company would treat us like this. We will stay here as long as necessary.

"Mum brings over all our food and drinks, it's a bit like room service. We even had to eat our Christmas dinners from our room in case they came to get us out."

Police are understood to have warned their former employers to leave the heating on until the dispute has been sorted out.

A Grampian Police spokesman said: "This is a civil matter and unless a breach of the peace is committed we would not intervene."