HUNDREDS of workers at a County Durham munitions factory threatened with closure have been given a three-week reprieve.

Bosses from British Aerospace (BAe), which owns the Royal Ordnance factory in Birtley, near Chester-le-Street, travelled there this week for urgent talks with factory management and union representatives hoping to prevent the planned closure.

After more than four hours of talks, Royal Ordnance national operations manager Adrian Watts agreed a three-week reprieve before making a decision on the fate of the site.

For the first time, BAe bosses are also considering options for the plant, which employs 300 workers, other than closure.

Union officials fighting to save the jobs presented managers with a business plan that they believe could save the plant.

The future of the factory, which produces shell casings, has been in the balance since BAe started examining the viability of all its munitions plants. A team from BAe met representatives of the GMB, AEEU and MSF and told them they were considering three options, which were:

l To retain the site at Birtley.

l To close the Birtley site and relocate elsewhere in the North-East.

l To relocate elsewhere in Europe or the world. South Africa was one possibility mentioned.

GMB regional organiser Stephen Thompkins said: "We told them we were only interested in the first two options but would reject the third."

He said: "Based on the facts and figures the company gave us we have done our own homework.

"With the help of professional advisors we have come up with a business plan that will save the plant and make it profitable at the same time.

"There is still an order book for five years at Birtley."

Mr Thompkins said ideally the plant should remain where it was, but he understood there were financial restraints which could make it necessary to move elsewhere in the region.

Meanwhile, Gateshead Council has added its weight to the regional campaign to save the potential loss of jobs.

Council leader Councillor George Gill has written to Minister for Defence Procurement Lord Bach expressing "very real concern at the uncertain future, and possible closure" of the plant.

He said: "The possible loss of 298 jobs would be a terrible blow to the area, and one from which recovery would be very difficult."