A TOWN has suffered its second jobs blow in a week.

Concrete pipe manufacturer CPM Group Limited has confirmed its works in Colburn, North Yorkshire, are to close with the loss of about 30 jobs.

The news comes only a week after the new owners of Colburn-based supermarket chain Quality Fare announced it was closing the company's distribution centre, with the loss of 30 jobs.

The double-blow was described as sad news for the town by Colburn councillor Peter Wood.

He said: "This has come as a great shock.

"It's a real shame when we are trying to create more jobs in the town, not lose them.

"Many of the people who work at the works have been there since it opened.

"Even if they get a decent amount of redundancy pay, it is not going to last too long."

Councillor Lynn Miller said: "All in all, it is a very dark day for Colburn.

"The works have been a part of the community for so long."

Mike Stacey, CPM Group managing director, blamed the closure on the advent of plastic pipes.

He said: "Plastic pipes have made inroads in to what was traditionally a concrete market. Costs have risen and the works are no longer viable."

Mr Stacey said there were no plans to close a popular social club on land owned by CPM in Colburn.

The plant was first opened in the 1960s. CPM Group, based in Frome, Somerset, bought the Catterick Road works in May this year from Hanson Building Products.

United Cooperative said Quality Fare's Colburn warehouse, on the Walkerville Industrial Site, was surplus to requirements after purchasing the family-run business for about £50m earlier his month.

A spokesman for United Cooperative said: "We feel that we can supply the Quality Fare shops from our existing facilities.

"We are talking to the staff who work at the warehouse and we will make every effort to re-deploy them, if not at other Quality Fare sites, then within United Co-operative."