Security firm may ditch 100 jobs

Initial Fire and Security has announced plans to close its alarm receiving centres in Blackburn and Burnley.

Staff were told that they will be offered alternative posts at the company's new headquarters in the area where possible, if the plans go ahead.

But Burnley councillor and trade union stalwart Terry Burns said it was "a sad day".

He added: "It's a great shame to see jobs going like this. You have to wonder where it ends for the whole area."

Receiving centres take calls when alarms go off and decide whether to pass the call on to the police.

Initial's Blackburn base was once the home of Shorrocks, which was founded in Blackburn by inventor Dr Stanley Shorrock. After Shorrocks was taken over by Initial the firm's name changed.

In July Initial was taken over by Chubb, which already has monitoring centres in Leeds, Nottingham and Glou-cester. Bosses say the monitoring centres there have more advanced technology, so are planning to close the Blackburn and Burnley centres over 12 months.

The move would create more jobs in Leeds, Nottingham and Glou-cester, and staff who lose their jobs could reapply for posts there. The board will take the final decision after consultation with staff.

There are 89 monitoring staff in Burnley, based on the Network 65 business park, and 11 in Blackburn, on the Shadsworth Business Park.

The firm employs another 350 people Blackburn and Burnley, and company bosses say the job losses would be offset because Chubb and Initial Security plan to open a new headquarters in Blackburn.

Finance marketing and human resources staff would be based at the site, also on Shadsworth Business Park. It is thought the move would create about 50 jobs suitable for staff at the monitoring centres.

Both proposals, if agreed, would be implemented in 2008.

Clive Hayton, managing director for the firm, which employs 3,000 people across the country, said the Chubb centres had "state of the art" software, with room for future expansion.