FRIENDS and relatives of workers at a doomed cement works are to take their protest to France today.

A coach leaves Stanhope, County Durham, at midnight heading for the Paris headquarters of Lafarge UK, which owns the Blue Circle Cement works at Eastgate, in Weardale.

The delegation is hoping that directors of the French company will accept a petition signed by 1,500 people who will be affected by the closure, and a bag of Weardale cement, which will be dumped on the parent company's doorstep in protest.

John Shuttleworth, Durham county councillor for Weardale, is leading the delegation which hopes the company would think again about its plans for the cement works.

He said: "This is a show of support for the workers by members of the local community to see if we can make some impact on the people of France."

Businessman Angus Ward, who put in an offer to buy the cement works, will also be travelling on the coach.

Coun Shuttleworth said: "We are saying that if you are going to close it, close it, but let someone else buy it. They have had two offers.

"I think it is absolute sacrilege. They cannot do it in France so why should they be able to do it in England?"

Coun Shuttleworth said he has written to the chief executive officer of the company in Paris informing him of the visit. He estimates the coach will arrive there at 2.30pm tomorrow.

It states: "We are concerned about your UK management team's attitude to the situation.

"We feel that there could be another avenue which could be explored."

Lafarge, the world's biggest cement maker, told its 147 workers in January that production would cease at the Weardale plant on August 9 this year.

Despite a three-month campaign to keep the 37-year-old works open, workers and the local community finally had to accept defeat.

It is hoped that tomorrow's meeting in France will give Lafarge food for thought.

The company declined to comment about the trip.