A QUARTER of workers at a Haslingden factory are facing the axe after a company announced it was looking to make savings across its sites.

Staff at Smiths Medical International, St Crispin Way, are in consultation with bosses over proposals to make 35 production staff redundant at the hospital supplies firm.

The consultation runs until the middle of next month and cuts could see the 140-strong production workforce slashed.

A Smiths Medical International spokesman said: “The company has been looking into losing 35 production jobs [at the Haslingden site] but it is working hard to minimise the potential impact .

“We have been looking at every factory to see what cuts can be made.”

The company claimed it had been looking to make the cuts even before the global economic downturn forced many businesses to review how they operated.

At its Haslingden site the firm manufactures pressure monitoring and fluid delivery equipment for use in the medical trade.

And the jobs losses follow on from a series of cuts at other Rossendale firms in recent months.

Coun David Stansfield expressed his sympathy for those who are set to lose their jobs.

He said: “This is very very sad news for the workers and for Rossendale.

“I really hope the workers have been in touch with the relevant unions and the council to see if help is available.

“We are a small Valley and we do not have a lot of money to invest in local business, so this is a real blow for Haslingden and the wider area.

“My heart goes out to all those affected and I hope they find new jobs as quickly as possible.”

Back in November, Bacup furniture manufacturer JJO announced it was making 80 of its 400-plus workforce redundant as it struggled with a lack of demand for its products.