Almost 100 noisy protesters lobbied Government minister Anne McGuire when she visited Bradford.

The crowd vented its anger at the disability minister over the Government's decision to close Bradford's Remploy factory, which employs disabled workers.

One protester threw an egg, which narrowly missed Mrs McGuire, while another shouted at her through a microphone from point-blank range.

Despite the hostility, the demonstration was largely peaceful helped by the presence of three police officers.

The protest, which involved dozens of disabled workers from Remploy's factories in Bradford and other areas, had been arranged by the GMB union and Unite the Union.

Brian Rushforth, who works at the Bradford factory, in Bowling Back Lane, said: "I have worked with Remploy for 32 years and this closure is going to have a massive impact on me and many others."

Glen Jackson, also employed at the Bradford factory, said: "I have worked there for 24 years. It's just gob-smacking. This factory should not be shut down. It's all wrong."

Tracy Watson, who has worked at the Remploy factory for ten years, said: "I want to save the Remploy factory. I would have liked to work there until I retired, but I can't now. It's absolutely horrendous."

Mrs McGuire, speaking to the Telegraph & Argus during the demonstration, said: "I understand that some of the Remploy workers are concerned about the changes that are going to happen but the aim behind the modernisation of Remploy is to make sure no disabled worker is made redundant and we get more disabled people into employment, indeed four times as many as the current Remploy factories are employing.

"There will be no compulsory redundancies. Tens of thousands of disabled people are working in places other than Remploy factories.

"Indeed, in Bradford, we have a Remploy employment services outfit that places many disabled people into mainstream employment and what we want to do is harness that skill and expertise to get more disabled people in this area into jobs."

Mrs McGuire was at Valley Parade to help launch the Yorkshire network of the Employers' Forum on Disability (EFD).

She told the forum she wanted disabled people in Yorkshire to have every opportunity to find the job they wanted and to get the right support to keep it.

The EFD acknowledged the concerns over the Remploy closures. But it said the launch of the Yorkshire network marked a "positive" move for disabled people and employers in the region.

e-mail: will.kilner @bradford.newsquest.co.uk