WORKERS at Nelson's Coloroll factory who will be made redundant when it closes at Christmas will be given help by council officers to find other jobs.

Economic development staff from Pendle Council were due to meet with bosses and staff representatives today to discuss ways of lessening the jobs blow. Coloroll, which also trades as John Wilman, announced on Friday it is closing its Nelson plant at Christmas and moving production to Hyde, Cheshire, to merge the business with Vymura.

Coloroll employs 300 people in Burnley and Pendle, the majority of them at Nelson. It is not clear yet how many redundancies there will be.

Councillor Azhar Ali, leader of the Labour group on the council, said: "It is shock news, especially in the light of support that John Wilman has received from Pendle Council and Pendle Partnership over a number of years.

"Economic development unit staff are meeting at the firm today to see how we can help workers find alternative employment and assist them in any way.

"It's a major site and we need to as quickly as possible find another employer to take it on, especially in light of comments made by industrialists that there is no land to expand."

He added: "Here is an opportunity to use a site and a local, skilled workforce."

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