Up to 370 jobs at a Bradford bread making factory are under threat as bosses announced plans for its closure.

British Bakeries on Gain Lane, Thornbury, is to shed the jobs as part of a restructuring of the company following a fall in the bread market.

British Bakeries, which employs more than 500 people at the Bradford site, said it anticipated that all manufacturing will cease at the bakery and that the site will be reorganised as a depot facility.

However it added that the restructuring would eventually involve the "proposed closure" of the site. It is understood the company wishes to sell the site and relocate dispatch and logistics to new premises in West Yorkshire.

British Bakeries make an assortment of highly popular bread products, including Hovis, Mother's Pride and Nimble bread goods. Its main customers include Bradford-based Morrisons, Asda and the Co-op.

British Bakeries' owners, Premier Foods, announced the closures of several of its sites earlier this year, placing more than 1,000 jobs in jeopardy.

A spokesman for British Bakeries told the Telegraph & Argus: "Closing a site is not a decision we take lightly.

"The move reflects an overall fall in bread consumption, changing consumer habits and the increased self sufficiency of British Bakeries' operations in the South of England resulting in a reduced requirement to transfer bread and morning goods down the country.

"We understand the impact these proposals will have on those affected and will work with them to ensure that the reasons for these proposals and the options open to them are fully understood."

The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers' Union (BFAWU) said it would fight to save all of the under-threat jobs and was preparing a package to try and keep those effected in work.

Ian Wood, organising district secretary for the BFAWU and a former employee of 18 years at the Gain Lane factory, said the news had come as a shock to employees.

Mr Wood said: "We want to save as many jobs as possible. The reason they are shutting is that there has been a six per cent drop in bread sales recently.

"People are just not having toast with their breakfast, they are having cereal bars and moving away from the traditional.

"This has meant that British Bakeries has been running at over capacity. Part of the problem in Bradford is that we used to supply 60 per cent of produce to the West Yorkshire area and 40 per cent would go around the country.

"The fall in sales has meant that people in the rest of the country have been able to meet the demand themselves and not rely on us."

A 90 day consultation period has now begun and the BFAWU is convening a meeting with management due to take place tomorrow. Mr Wood added that the news had hit workers hard.

"I came away from the meeting earlier and most of the people I spoke to were absolutely devastated. We will just have to see what we can do."

One worker, who declined to be identified, said that there had been rumours of job cuts but not of the scale announced yesterday.

"There are people who have worked there for more than 30 years. Everyone was called into a meeting this morning and told the news.

"We had heard whispers but we had just tried not to think about it. It is terrible news."

In addition to the cuts in Bradford, the company has announced the proposed closure of a depot facility in Telford, Shropshire. It is anticipated that all warehouse, logistics and related support activities will cease at Telford depot. This proposal may result in around 60 redundancies.