Staff at a struggling Bradford textile firm have been reassured that a £5.36 million takeover bid will not necessarily lead to further job cuts.

The multi-million pound bid by Whitlock Management has been recommended to shareholders by the board of Parkland Plc.

The fabric and yarn manufacturer currently employs 150 people at its warping and weaving base in Green-gates. That figure is expected to be cut to around 100 by the end of the year.

Union officials have been brought in to discuss the latest job losses, which are not connected to the takeover bid.

The man behind the bid to turn the group private, former Parkland chief executive John Hanson, says the deal would not necessarily lead to further redundancies. But he warned there could be a reorganisation of the firm.

Parkland Group deputy chairman John Jackson, said: "We considered the bid to be in the best interests of shareholders and employees.

"The job losses under negotiation at the moment are nothing to do with this takeover. We've had to reduce our output in terms of weaving and cutting a few jobs ensured the remainder were not under threat.

"The issue of jobs is very important to the board and we are trying to protect them. We are not planning any further redundancies in the foreseeable future - but we're not sure how far we can see these days."

Parkland came under fire last year when it snubbed Bradford and opened a new £16 million factory in Nottinghamshire, creating 100 jobs.

Sandy Needham, director of Bradford Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: "All textile companies are having a bad time, particularly because there is a lot of competition from overseas."

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