THE last man on site at a former tobacco factory has already told his new bosses they'll have a hard act to follow.

Security chief Jim Mole switched jobs at exactly noon yesterday, starting a new chapter in his life along with the immaculately-kept Rothmans plant he has helped watch over for the past 21 years.

Jim was with the cigarette makers for all of their time in Spennymoor. After production stopped in June he was asked to stay on and work for the new owners Industrial Estates Scotland (IES) who plan to develop a centre for burgeoning new businesses.

His last duty for Rothmans was to hand over the factory's keys to IES' technical services manager Peter Manson.

Jim said: "It has been an emotional morning. Rothmans have been a superb company to work for. Everyone has shown total professionalism from the day they learned we were closing last November.

"Nobody ever left Rothmans. The day the announcement was made there was total disbelief because this factory, without question, is the finest factory and the finest bunch of people I have ever met in my life

"We had a wonderful manager in Giulio Pontone who spoke often of the 'Spennymoor spirit' that bound us together.

"Now I am looking forward to the challenge of developing the site, especially if I meet some of the Rothmans workers coming back with their own businesses. I am sure the Spennymoor spirit will continue."

IES predicts that it can bring as many as 300 jobs to its new Rothmans Business Centre which should be up and running by next Spring.

Companies have already shown an interest in taking units on the 27-acre site even before IES start their marketing operation.

Despite their Scottish base, their most successful venture to date is also in the Sedgefield Borough, at Newton Aycliffe, where they have brought 291 jobs to the former premises of Underground Mining Machinery.

But for Rothmans the future is less optimistic.

While 92 per cent of the Spennymoor plant's 460 staff have either retired or found new jobs or training, those who transferred to the company's Darlington plant have an uncertain future because of an European directive being considered which could control the tar content of cigarettes made for export