Seventy jobs have been axed at the Bradford-based regional base of national firm Pipeline Constructors - known as PLC.

The firm, which employed 320 people at the base in Brighouse Road, Low Moor, before the job cuts were made, blamed the losses on a downturn in orders in the Yorkshire region.

The company, which employs some 1,300 people nationally, lays pipes and cables for utility companies.

Chris Pine, the firm's company secretary, said jobs had been lost among skilled craftsmen, HGV drivers and cable and pipe layers.

He said: "The jobs have been lost because of a downturn in business in the Yorkshire area and the losses leave us with 250 people at the Bradford site.

"This is the first time the company has made such heavy job cuts and we do not anticipate having to make any more."

He said the firm was offering some of the workers a chance to relocate to other divisions in the group and had told other companies in the same sector in the hope they would have vacancies.

The job losses come a week after Bradford firm Diamond Seal announced 70 redundancies and was in takeover talks with Barnsley firm Sash UK which could result in some of the jobs being saved.

A spokesman for Sash said today that he could not confirm a deal had been done but said talks were still being held with his firm's lawyers, directors of Diamond Seal and the administrative receivers.

Diamond Seal ran into trouble last week after difficulties going back three years.

The firm called in administrative receivers from the Leeds office of PricewaterhouseCoopers who immediately made 70 people redundant.

But some of them are likely to be found work with Sash if the deal goes through and others are in job discussions with Bradford window, door and conservatory firm Coral.

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