WORKERS at one of East Lancashire's biggest employers face a one-in-three risk that their site is to close.
Heating giant Baxi is planning to shut one of its Lancashire sites and will spend the next eight weeks deciding whether it will be the Potterton Myson site at Padiham, which employs 575, or one of two sites at Bamber Bridge, Preston.
Some staff from the closing site will be able to transfer to a surviving site, but Baxi admitted there will be job losses among the 2,000-strong combined workforce.
Managing director Peter Johnson said that although Baxi was a Preston-based company, that would not have a major bearing on the decision. "There is more than just geography to be considered. We will be looking at the size of the sites and the flexibility of the labour force among other things," he said.
It said it was "very early days" in the decision process.
The firm's other manufacturing sites are at Brownedge Road and Club Street, Preston. Club Street also houses the group's foundry and will not close completely whatever the decision.
Mr Johnson said part of the firm's reasoning for buying Potterton Myson was to get the cost benefits from the combined operation.
Around 50 jobs are currently being cut across the 2,000-strong manufacturing workforce, mainly in management and administration areas.
Mr Johnson said it was not possible to put a figure on the job losses.
Baxi bought Potterton Myson last year from Blue Circle Industries. In 1998 125 jobs were created at the Padiham plant -- which used to be called Main Gas -- with the relocation of Potterton's boiler assembly operation from Warwick to East Lancashire. The closure of such a big employer in the area would be a huge blow and come in the same month as closure announcements by wiring firm Leoni in Accrington, SSL in Blackburn, Sermatech Mal-Tool in Colne and the decision by Airtours to move its holiday headquarters from Helmshore to Rochdale. CLOSURE? In the next eight weeks, Baxi will decide whether to shut its Potterton Myson site in Padiham, or one of two in Bamber Bridge
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