GAS company Centrica yesterday announced plans to shed 850 office jobs.
But the company said the North-East would escape the cuts, with the brunt being borne by British Gas staff in London.
Centrica said engineers and other employees who deal directly with customers would not be affected by the overhaul, which stems from the introduction of new systems and other business improvements.
The GMB union said it was dismayed at the cuts and vowed to do all it could to prevent redundancies.
Although 1,450 jobs will be affected, Centrica said redeployment and the removal of vacant posts would reduce the final figure to about 850.
A British Gas spokesman said: "British Gas jobs in the North-East will not be significantly affected by today's Centrica announcement. There is no question of any site closure in the region."
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