Severe job losses expected as Burnley firm announces factory closure

Scores of jobs are expected to be lost at a Burnley automotive factory after bosses informed staff the site would close within months.
BCS Automotive, located in Heasandford Industrial Estate.BCS Automotive, located in Heasandford Industrial Estate.
BCS Automotive, located in Heasandford Industrial Estate.

Workers at BCS Automotive Interface Solutions, located on Heasandford Industrial Estate next to Boohoo, were placed on 45 days' notice yesterday.

Staff said while they had been expecting an announcement regards the closure they did not expect it to come so soon.

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It is believed approximately 100 workers are employed on site.

The purpose built site was opened in 1965 by engineering ginat Lucas Electrical for the manufacture of automotive switch gear.

In its hay day in the 1970s Lucas employed 7,000 people across a number of factories in and around Burnley. It was separated as two companies, Lucas Aerospace was the bigger of the two but that was sold off first.

The big Aerospace factories at Wood Top and Hargher Clough are long gone but some still continue under Safran Nacelles.

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Lucas Electrical employed 1,500 people at a number of sites in Burnley but Eastern Avenue was the jewel and the only survivor.

It initially manufactured for the British car industry but by the 1990s diversified and won business from many international car manufacturers.

The company was taken over at the turn of the millenium by American company TRW, and later by German manufacturer ZF.

It is now in the hands of Chinese owners BCS.

The Burnley Express was unable to obtain a comment from BCS.

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