Jobs axed at conservatory firm

Around 200 jobs have been lost at a conservatory manufacturer based in Aldridge, it emerged today.

Most of the job losses at Best Value Conservatories Limited are at its County Durham factory.

But an undisclosed number of workers have been given the boot from the village site, another devastating blow to the area which has seen hundreds of redundancies recently.

The conservatory maker is believed to have suffered a fall in sales and could not continue trading.

The current state of the housing market is thought to have been a major factor, with few people moving house and a drop in property improvements. Production has ceased at the company's factory in the north west and just 20 staff remain to supervise the winding-up.

A handful of staff of staff remain at the Aldridge head office.

Administrators from accountants KPMG have been trying to sell remaining stock, raw materials, plant and machinery at its northern site. Howard Smith, KPMG restructuring associate, said: "It is with regret that I must confirm this business is unable to continue trading, meaning the majority of its employees – 208 – have been made redundant today."