ACCOUNTANCY software firm Sage is set to announce UK redundancies along with its interim results this week, it was reported today.

The Newcastle-based firm is expected to set out plans for 600 cuts this year on top of 400 posts last year when it reports on the six months to March 31, the Sunday Times reported.

Cuts could affect around 200 roles in the UK, where the firm employs more than 2,000 people.

The group, which serves almost six million businesses worldwide, warned of ''particularly challenging market conditions'' three months ago.

Potential global job losses are understood to represent about 8 per cent of the firm's 14,500-strong total workforce and it is thought that the group will say all the cuts will be through voluntary redundancy and not replacing people who decide to leave.

Aside from its Newcastle headquarters, the firm also has UK offices in Manchester, Winnersh, near Reading, central London and Witney in Oxfordshire.

No one from the firm was available to comment today.

Analysts predict Sage's results will show the impact of a turbulent six months on the business.

The period to the end of March encompasses the financial meltdown and the headlong decent into recession for most major economies.

America accounts for the bulk of Sage's revenues, at just under 40 per cent, while the UK represents nearly 20 per cent.

The UK showed a ''resilient performance'' in the three months to December 31, although mainland Europe, which accounts for 35 per cent of revenues, saw revenue growth slow.

Sage, whose Line 50 software is among its best-known UK products, is expected to say that growth in subscription revenues - such as support services to customers - offset falling software sales. Subscription sales account for around two-thirds of overall group revenues.