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Famous Accrington brick manufacturer to close

4:47pm Monday 22nd September 2008


THE historic manufacturer of Accrington Brick is to close with bosses blaming the economic slowdown.

More than 80 workers are set to lose their jobs at the end of October when the Hanson Building Products factory in Whinney Hill Road, between Altham and Accrington, closes.

Hyndburn council leader Peter Britcliffe said he was ‘very sad as the firm was part of the area’s folklore.’ Bosses revealed the ‘completely unprecedented’ economic slowdown had seen production fall by 40 per cent.

Hanson Building Products will shut at the end of next month.

Bosses at the firm, which is a subsidiary of the multi-national Heidelberg Cement group, blamed the credit crunch and the lack of new homes currently being built.

However, there is a glimmer of hope for the future.

The site is being ‘mothballed’ and bosses hope in 18 months or two years it may be possible to re-open if the building trade picks up.

A spokesman for Hanson said: “We have seen our output reduced by 40 per cent in the past six months.

"We have closed three factories this year. We wanted to ride this out but it has not been possible.

“The slump in the business is completely unprecedented.

"We have seen peaks and troughs in the past but now there are fewer new houses being built than at any time since the Second World War.”

The news is a further blow in Hyndburn after the closure of Accrington’s Revenue and Customs office with the loss of 120 jobs, Joseph Metcalf gardening supplies in Oswaldtwistle with the loss of 60 jobs, and the Thomas Cook call centre in Accrington which could see 260 people lose their jobs.

Hyndburn MP Greg Pope said: “I am very upset. It is a really difficult time for them and my office and I will do anything we can to help.”

Council leader Peter Britcliffe said: “This is extremely distressing, not only for the people who work there but also for the area.

"The Nori bricks are associated with Accrington and the area’s folklore.”

Local councillor Clare Pritchard said: “This is a terrible blow.

"There needs to be more pressure from Hyndburn Council to ensure that local firms are supported.”


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Your Say YourCitizen

Hoi Polloi, Great Harwood says...
7:53pm Tue 23 Sep 08

So sad to hear this well known firm shutting up. A sign of the times and hard times ahead for those who cannot get jobs after the closure.

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ljam18, Colne says...
10:21pm Tue 23 Sep 08

I don't think that the closure of this factory has anything to do with the credit crunch, because this factory has been producing more bricks than any other in the country. And if we only look back a year or so the employees we're compensated for holidays that the company owed them. I think that the company that owns this factory is shutting it down so that they can open it again and have no union, so that they can start exploring their own employees just like many others still do in this country, and retort that if they don't like it they know when the exit door is. It's really sad to hear that the factory is going to close specially in such suspicious ways.

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iron1, Accrington says...
11:24pm Tue 23 Sep 08

As an employee of this company i can tell you the company does not care about its employees, it cares more about profit.
Everyone understands that a company has to be profitable to succeed, but companies should be made to take responsibity for the welfare of its workforce both inside and outside the workplace.
It is also high time Gordon Brown stopped focusing on survival of his own job and started to do wat he gets paid for and sort out the current economic uncertanties.
This company is well renowned for asset stripping in the 70s and 80s.
Over the past twelve months production teams have been required to work overtime to meet the production requirments placed on the business by our customers.
I personally beleive that this closure has been the work of one director,as payback for the workforce taking the company through the legal system.
The GMB union went all the way to the eurpeon court of justice to enforce the right to paid holidays.
This litigation has been ongoing for over ten years and been expensive for both side.
This closure is more about corporate bullying than credit crunch, and if permitted to go ahead unchallenged will be a very sad days for Accrington indeed.

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Business Coach, Chorley says...
9:39am Wed 24 Sep 08

I am sure this unfortunate closure and loss of jobs both directly with the company and indirectly in the local comunity will have a role out effect for months to come yet.. but it does look as the "Credit Crunch" is now starting to take a hold

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Wikidi, Accrington says...
7:20pm Sat 27 Sep 08

Fact is if you control your expenditure then you will see something done to avoid this recession period.

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Famous Accrington brick manufacturer to close Famous Accrington brick manufacturer to close


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