Production ending at timber firm

The company supplied timber across Northern Ireland

Seventy jobs will go today as production ends at a Coleraine factory which makes wood products for cupboards and flooring.

Spanboard announced the redundancies at the plant three months ago, which employed 105 people.

The firm's Portuguese owners, Sonae, blamed the job losses on the downturn in the construction industry and rising costs of raw materials.

It took over the County Londonderry manufacturer in 1989.

Gerry Mullan, who has worked at the company for 22 years, said he does not know where he will find his next job.

"Although I got a three-month extension onto my contract, I would say after that most people here will be getting paid off.

"I still have a family and paying those bills is going to be impossible.

"Finding work in the Coleraine area is practically impossible because there's no industry left in this area at all."

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