THE troubled textile industry received another bodyblow last night after Courtaulds revealed it was likely to shed another 280 jobs.

The clothing firm has started consultations with employees and unions at Courtalds Ladieswear in Blyth, Northum-berland, on whether there are any realistic alternatives to closing the site. Along with the 280 redundancies, it is anticipated a further 30 employees in various supporting functions will also be made redundant if no alternative to closure can be found.

According to John McClure, chief executive of Courtalds Ladieswear, plans are already in place to help workers find alternative employment. He said: "The highly competitive nature of our market means that we can see no alternative.

"If the closure proposal is confirmed, our human resources team will provide help to employees to find alternatively work or retraining opportunities."

The move will create worry for staff at other Courtaulds factories at Peterlee and West Auckland, County Durham.

The fresh blow is the latest in a long line of closures to hit the textile industry up and down the region, with thousands of jobs lost over the past two years.

Courtaulds has already shut its Meridian factory in Middlesbrough this year and in 1998 it caused devastation among the North-East's clothing industry after it bought the Marks & Spencer supplier, Claremont Garments.

In a drastic move to return the acquisition to profitability, Courtaulds unveiled a scheme for 1,220 job cuts and eight factory closures.