FRESH doubts were raised last night over ICI jobs on Teesside after the chemical giant announced it was slashing its UK workforce.

Unveiling disappointing second-quarter financial results, ICI bosses said 300 posts were set to go from 1,400 worldwide. The cuts come on top of 700 job losses announced by the company in May in a bid to halt a slide in first-quarter profits.

ICI said 100 office jobs would go at its headquarters in London and 200 largely administrative and management jobs would be cut across its UK operations over the next two years.

Likely to be hit is ICI's Uniqema business at the Wilton site in Redcar, which manufactures speciality chemicals for a number of products such as sunscreens, nappies and paint.

Uniqema spokeswoman Pauline Short could not confirm reports that 50 jobs were to go, but said: "There is a possibility that jobs will be lost at Wilton and we will have a clearer indication by November. It is highly likely that they will not be at a manufacturing level but we will not disclose numbers until consultation is carried out with our workforce and the trade unions."

GMB chief Kevin Curran, a former northern regional secretary, said the announcement was more bad news for UK manufacturing.

ICI reported a 21 per cent fall in second-quarter profits to £98m. Taken across the half-year as a whole, bottom-line pre-tax profits after one-off charges fell from £189m to just £47m.

There was some good news though for the region's chemical industry with the government yesterday announcing a £50m aid package to modernise ICI's huge Ineos Chlor chlorine plant in Runcorn, Merseyside.

More than 2,000 jobs at the plant will be safeguarded by the regional assistance aid and more than 8,000 across the UK - including 1,000 in the North-East.

Prime Minister Tony Blair, who was in his Sedgefield constituency, said: "The chemical industry is an important part of the region's economy and this demonstrates the government's commitment to high skilled, high-value manufacturing."