A TV antiques expert today spoke of his sadness that the company behind the world-famous Pendelfin rabbits is to close after more than 50 years.

The firm announced this week that it would cease production at its East Lancashire base in March, with the loss of 14 jobs.

And today East Lancashire-born antiques expert Eric Knowles, who used to drink in the same pub as company founders, Jeannie Todd and Jean Walmsley Heap, said he was upset at the news.

Bosses at the firm, which makes ceramic figurines - the most famous being rabbits - said the closure was due to increased competition from production centres in the Far East, and falling demand.

Eric, known to millions of Antiques Roadshow viewers, said: "It is very sad to hear Pendelfin is closing, especially as when I started working I used to go for lunch to the Roggerham Gate every Friday where the two founders, who used to be known as the Bunny girls, would go.

"Years later as I travelled around it was strange to see these pieces being produced from people in all corners of the world.

"They really took off in terms of their popularity."

Pendelfin fan and Burnley Football Club director John Sullivan said he was shocked and saddened by the news.

At an auction last year a design for the dust jacket of Dingleflop Chimes, signed by author Jean Walmsley Heap and dated 1949, was sold for £2,000 to Mr Sullivan, who also bought a Pendle Witch plaque to hang on the wall of the boardroom at Turf Moor for good luck.

He said: "I have bought a few Pendelfin things and I am very sorry to hear this news.

"I was at an auction at the club in November and there was no suggestion anything was wrong, so this is a real bolt out of the blue. I will certainly see if there is anything I can do to help."

Auctioneer Stella Ashbrook, from Wor-cestershire, who specialises in Pendelfin, said: "This is tremendously sad because when you hear the name Burnley you think of Pendelfin.

"But the fact that the factory is closing could increase demand for some of the older pieces, which is good news for collectors."

Nicholas Frankish, managing director at the Briercliffe firm, said: "We will be closing at the end of March and redundancy packages have been put together for the staff.

"Demand for the product made here has been falling and although we have been trying to sustain manufacturing, that has unfortunately proved untenable."