TWO HUNDRED jobs are to be lost at a home shopping firm's Burnley call centre.

Shop Direct Group Limited, formerly Reality, is to shed the jobs in its Financial Service Department as part of a restructuring programme of the company.

The news, from one of the town's major employers - announced on the eve on Burnley Wakes Weeks - comes just months after it announced 250 jobs were to be created in Burnley after the company decided to scrap its call centre in India.

All the jobs affected are in the 200-strong department, which is to move to new sites in Aintree and Sunderland.

But the company which employs over 800 staff at its Kingsway call centre announced there were still 190 vacancies in Burnley, and it would try to find jobs in other departments of the call centre for those affected.

It would not say whether the jobs affected were full or part time or what the alternative jobs would be.

A spokesman for Shops Direct Groups Limited, which bought the business from GUS, said the company was in discussions with trade unions about the redundancies.

He said "We have been introducing a number of changes across a number of areas.

"In Burnley we have financial services operatives and these roles are under the threat of redundancy as we are moving these roles to other locations, namely Aintree and Sunderland.

"However, we have 190 vacancies in the Burnley call centre and we hope to offer redeployment to employees.

"If we can deploy people elsewhere within the company we will certainly do that and these jobs will be similar to the ones now."

Burnley MP Peter Pike said people do not like change but hoped those affected will be found new jobs.

He said: "For this to suddenly come out now is disappointing. I hope the people can be reallocated and do find appropriate alternative jobs.

"If these figures are correct it seems like this will be the case."

Leader of the council, Stuart Caddy, urged the company to contact the council so they could help.

He said: "Obviously it is a blow to the workforce of the company which has been surrounded by uncertainty now for two years.

"If a request comes from the company to help the staff in redeployment, the council will try their best to help them and hopefully the staff will find jobs.

"We look forward to hearing from the management at the company to help them get through the problems they have."