A HATCHERY where more than three million chick eggs were destroyed by fire is to close with the loss of 45 jobs.

Mike Haines, manager of Mayfield Chicks, Ewood Bridge, Haslingden, said 25 workers would be made redundant while the remaining 20 had left voluntarily.

The firm, the UK's largest independent hatchery, vowed it would not fold after fire swept through the 60,000sq ft building in July.

But it will close at the end of next week despite attempts to remain up and running by using hatcheries across the country and temporary offices nearby.

The company held a crisis meeting for staff in the wake of the fire and said it would rebuild on the site.

But today Mr Haines conceded: "We have been fighting to keep the factory open but there is only so much you can do."

Mr Haines said some staff will be finishing on Friday, with the remaining staff working until next Friday, November 8, when the factory is to close.

He said: "The staff were told a couple of weeks ago so they have had time to get used to the news and try and find alternative work.

"A lot of them have managed to find something but they are all very sad about the closure. Some staff have worked here for most of their working lives so it is the end of an era for them."

The building had to be demolished after more than 100 firefighters from as far afield as Greater Manchester tackled the flames, which sent toxic fumes billowing across Rossendale and the busy A56 bypass. Mr Haines added: "We have been using hatcheries from Edinburgh to Wiltshire. We have had a lot of support from the industry but at the end of the day the costs have killed us and we couldn't go on."

The exact cause of the fire, which is thought to caused millions of pounds' worth of damage, has never been established.