Desmonds Textile company plan to reduce employment in their lightwear division factory at Claudy and close a cutting room in Drumahoe.

The move follows the closure of the company's factories at Magherafelt in County Londonderry and Enniskillen in County Fermanagh over the past two years.

Management of Desmonds informed workers at both plants on Thursday and met with unions to discuss their plans.

A spokesman for Desmonds said: "Because customer demand favours outerwear products over lightwear products, Desmonds is seeking to redeploy a number of people between factories and is offering a voluntary redundancy scheme.

"We propose to reduce employment in our lightwear division factory at Claudy by 47 to 110 and to close our cutting room at Drumahoe, which will affect nine jobs. Cutting will be consolidated at the divisional headquarters at Irvinestown.

"Because of the strength of our outerwear business, we are able to offer redeployment to the Newbuildings and Springtown factories for 60% of those affected."

Felix McCrossan, regional organiser of the GMB union, said it was another blow for the textile industry.

"I was disappointed to hear that we're going to face a reduction in the workforce yet again in Desmonds," he said.