Stunned workers at Betafence in Woodhouse Lane, Beech Hill, were called to a meeting on Wednesday afternoon to be told that by December the factory would be shut.

The Belgian-owned company will consolidate its UK work at its other site in Sheffield and there seems to be little chance of redeployment for the 61-strong workforce.

Specialising in perimeter fencing for schools, power stations and government installations, the plant has been part of Wigan's manufacturing scene for decades, whether in the guise of GKN, Tinsley Wire, Gridweld or, most recently, Betafence.

One worker, who did not want to be identified, said: "We did not see this coming at all and, as you can imagine, we are all devastated.
"They had already had two rounds of redundancies recently to lose about 12 jobs so we thought we were in the clear for now.

"We had also been on shorter hours earlier in the year but then things started picking up.

"But then we were called into a meeting this week to be told by the management that it will close in December with the loss of all 61 jobs and the work going to Sheffield. Things will start winding down in September.

"I have been working here for more than 25 years, as have many other colleagues, and I just don't know what I am going to do.
"There are people with mortgages to pay and families to look after and the prospects of finding alternative work in Wigan is a joke."

Betafence said it was "reconfiguring" its European acitvities not just in the UK but also France and Germany with the aim of "safeguarding the long term competitiveness of the Betafence Group."

A company spokesman today blamed the recession. He said: "Betafence's sales volumes have dropped because of the decreased investment levels in the industry and low activity level in the building sector.

"These external factors have made this reconfiguration necessary to secure the future leadership of Betafence."

News of the closure was greeted with sadness by Wigan Council today.
Deputy leader, Coun David Molyneux, said: "We're always sorry when a company closes and this is especially sad as the factory has been in Wigan for a long time providing good engineering jobs.

"Our first concern now is for employees who may be facing redundancy.
"We have already been in touch with Betafence to offer the support of our specialist advice and guidance service to employees looking for new jobs or retraining."