Staff at the Peterborough headquarters of Pearl Assurance are still waiting to hear how may jobs will be shed at the site.

They were said to be "devastated" by the news that about 1,900 workers would be made redundant in the UK.

But the final number of jobs to go at their base on the Peterborough Business Park at Lynch Wood on the city outskirts has not been confirmed.

After a review by the firm's owner, the Australian insurer AMP, Pearl announced it is getting rid of its entire 1,000-strong sales force plus 900 office staff.

It is not a good day for Peterborough and in the run-up to Christmas it is the last thing you want

Roger Lyons, Amicus

At Pearl's headquarters, staff were being given presentations to explain the circumstances which led to the decision.

General secretary of the union Amicus Roger Lyons said the announcement had devastated staff.

He said: "Everyone's absolutely shellshocked and morale and motivation have collapsed.

"Other companies will be restructuring and the cutback by Pearl will hit other companies in the Peterborough area.

"It is not a good day for Peterborough and in the run-up to Christmas it is the last thing you want."

'Situation discussed'

Peterborough MP Helen Clark said Pearl had been good for the city.

"I hope there will not be too many job losses and for those who do lose their jobs, I hope that Pearl will be active in finding them new jobs."

Peterborough City Council chief executive Gillian Beasley greeted the announcement with regret.

She said: "We are unaware of the exact implications for Pearl but will be discussing the situation with them in the next few weeks."

Brian Soanes, chief executive of the Peterborough-based Business Club, said it was very tough on the people who were losing their jobs.

Park expanding

"On the brighter side, Peterborough is pretty buoyant at the moment and there are a lot of businesses struggling to recruit staff of the right calibre, so it could be good for them.

"The Peterborough economy will be able to absorb those redundancies and I think those made redundant will find new jobs relatively quickly."

Pearl Assurance moved to Peterborough Business Park just off the A1 from London a decade ago.

The park is expanding and the city has been the destination for many businesses who have re-located.