A company which was once among Keighley's biggest employers is shedding more jobs.

Magnet is shutting further parts of its Royd Ings Avenue operation, with the loss of around 30 jobs.

The move will leave little more than 100 people at the site, which was once the joinery firm's headquarters and employed more than 1,000.

Local union leaders say it is another blow for manufacturing in the town.

Magnet is consolidating its warehousing for kitchen and joinery products into a single operation at Darlington, which is now the company's base. The changes will take effect from the middle of next month.

Bosses say extensive consultation has begun with those affected, who were told of the situation this week, and they hope redundancies can be achieved voluntarily.

A spokesman said: "These significant changes to the work carried out at Keighley follow a strategic review of the whole business and alterations to production processes at Darlington.

"Cessation of bedroom manufacturing has resulted in the release of over 10,000 square metres of warehouse capacity at the Darlington operation and there is a reduced space requirement for joinery products at the Keighley site.

"We have decided to consolidate the warehousing for both kitchen and joinery products into a single operation. The changeover of work to the new facility at Darlington will be ongoing from the middle of December.

"A number of staff at Keighley will be potentially affected by these changes and the company has begun a consultation process with the assistance of the trade unions. The aim of this is to secure, where possible, mutually agreeable solutions. Alternatives to redundancy will be sought and if redundancy is required it will be achieved, where possible, voluntarily."

The spokesman said the Keighley operation would continue to manufacture windows, doorframes and a limited range of doors, which will be transported to Darlington for onward distribution.

Steve Davison, president of Keighley Trades Union Council, said the blow was "more desperate news" for the town.

"It is a further erosion of the manufacturing base and we are deeply concerned that this level of de-industrialisation continues in Keighley," he said.

"Multi-nationals are moving work around and there is little we can do. It looks like Magnet is pulling out of Keighley a step at a time and, if true, it is a disaster for those made redundant and demoralising for those who are left."

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