Swiss group Ciba Speciality Chemicals has finally secured control of Bradford chemical giant Allied Colloids, in a £1.42 billion deal.

The news that its cash offer has been declared unconditional means Allied Colloids has effectively become part of the Ciba group, which now owns 91 per cent of its shares.

However, the Swiss firm will need to take further steps to formally complete the deal, which works out at 205p a share. These include receiving the remaining minority shares and paying shareholders for the purchase of the company.

Ciba chairman Rolf Meyer said: "We look forward to working with an experienced team at Allied Colloids which has built a very successful and profitable business."

Allied Colloids Chief Executive David Farrar said: "The combination of our two companies provides an exciting blend of technology, customer focus and global presence."

Ciba, based in Basel, employs 20,000 people world-wide, generating sales in 117 countries. It already has five divisions: additives, consumer care chemicals, performance polymers, textiles dyes and pigments. Its sixth division in Bradford will see Mr Farrar at the helm of a water treatment company.

Allied Colloids currently employs 2,000 people at its Low Moor site and Ciba has admitted that some jobs may have to go because of a duplication between the two companies.

Eric Moorhouse, head of the Allied Colloid Worker's Council, said those departments involved had already been informed of the possible redundancies.

He said: "Obviously there is a clash of certain jobs between ourselves and Ciba, but the workers involved are fully aware of the implications regarding redundancies.

"The majority of workers are looking forward to Ciba coming in and helping Allied Colloids to improve its product."

Speculation about a possible take-over dates back to November 1997.

The company managed to fight off a hostile £1.07 billion bid from American chemical giant Hercules before the agreement with Ciba was reached.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.