WITH frustrations mounting about the continuing lack of a clear strategy for the future of the Blue Circle site, the last thing Wear Valley needed was more bad news on the jobs front.

The unexpected closure of Barbour's operation in Crook is another sickening blow for an area which all too often finds itself in the face of the cold wind blowing through from the region's manufacturing problems.

The fact that all 87 workers are to be offered alternative jobs at South Shields is some consolation but the reality is that many will find the journey to Tyneside impractical and will take redundancy instead.

We have sympathy with a company facing increased competition amid global economic pressures, but the decision adds weight to concerns that South Durham needs help and needs it urgently.

The Northern Echo launched its "Working For A Future" campaign last autumn after nearly 1,000 jobs were cut at Black & Decker in Spennymoor.

The aim is to highlight the need for extra help for areas which have been hit hardest by the manufacturing crisis in the North-East.

And while regional development agency One North-East and the County Durham Development Company insist that progress is being made to lay the foundations for regeneration, last night's announcement by Barbour is yet another sad reminder of the challenges that lay ahead.