Workers at Aberystwyth held a protest in 2003

The centre, where the firm's Welsh language service is based, had been earmarked for closure in 2002 but no date had been announced.

It once employed 146 people, but now just 43 - mostly contract workers - are left. Union leaders said they were "disappointed" at the closure.

Welsh directory inquiries will be moved to Bangor in Gwynedd.

A spokesman for BT said: "It's only now that we've set an actual date for its closure which is the end of October."

The Welsh language directory inquiries service will continue and will be moved up to Bangor A British Telecom spokesman

He added: "About 40 of the workers at the centre are contract workers and there's only about three or four BT staff remaining".

The spokesman said the decision was part of BT's "next generation contact centre programme," which had seen a number of smaller centres closed across the UK.

Industrial action

The Communications Workers' Union (CWU) said it was going to be "difficult" for workers to relocate to Bangor.

Regional chairman of the CWU in mid and south Wales, Reg Kelly, said: "We're disappointed the bureau is closing, but we're doing everything we can to make sure everybody is looked after."

Two years ago, the union criticised BT for sending workers from the call centre in Aberystwyth to train operators in India.