THE Blackburn healthcare company Cupal has closed the doors at its King Street factory for the final time.

SSL International announced last year that the factory would shut with the loss of 113 jobs when production was transferred to a new facility in Peterlee in County Durham.

Around 70 workers were left at the company when it closed on Friday.

Plant manager Geoff Moore said 12 staff would be joining him at Peterlee.

"It is the end of an era for Cupal," he said.

"Everyone was offered the opportunity to go on secondment to Peterlee and around a dozen people are going up there to see how it goes."

Cupal, founded in 1909, was one of Blackburn's longest-established businesses.

SSL said the age of the 150-year-old King Street factory was the reason for the move to new premises.

"The building has been the problem," said Mr Moore.

"Quite simply, it is no longer able to support a modern medicines business."

SSL claimed they could not find a suitable site in the Blackburn area to build a new factory. It later emerged that the company had received a £2.4million government grant to relocate to County Durham.