UNION bosses spoke of their fury last night after the RAC sacked more than 1,700 workers - including hundreds in the North-East - as part of an £80m cost-cutting plan.

The breakdown group's new parent company, Aviva, which also owns insurance company Norwich Union, said the savings would help pay for the £1.1bn RAC takeover.

In the North-East, 215 posts are being axed at the RAC insurance centre in Darlington.

The customer service insurance posts in the town will be transferred to sites in Norwich and Bristol.

The losses in Darlington form part of the overall plan, with the jobs in the town due to go by April next year. A further 120 posts are being cut at a site in Morecambe, Lancashire.

Officials at the Amicus union branded the announcement a disgrace and intend to consult staff before giving their formal response to Aviva.

Amicus regional officer Gerry Hunter said: "My union has recognition there, and what is happening is absolutely outrageous.

"The Norwich Union adverts say 'quote me happy' - 215 jobs going down the pan in Darlington is not making anyone happy."

National secretary David Fleming said he was "extremely disappointed by the cavalier approach of Norwich Union" towards its staff.

Workers at the Darlington site were given the news by bosses at a meeting yesterday morning.

They said they had been informed of a business review taking place six weeks ago, which culminated in yesterday's announcement.

One employee said: "Nobody can carry out a review of an entire company this large in just six weeks. They have had this organised since last year.

"The way they go about their business is absolutely disgusting and it's the loyal staff who are always last to know what's going on.

"This is 1,700 people's lives they are changing."

Aviva expects the merger of operations, as part of the restructuring, to generate savings of £80m a year by next year.

It is expected that it will have identified all the 1,700 job cuts by the end of the year.

About 900 jobs in support services are to go, while another 800 that can be moved abroad will also be cut - adding to Aviva's growing presence in Asia.

Aviva axed 5,000 jobs in the UK last year, reducing its workforce to 28,000.

Meanwhile, its operations in India and Sri Lanka have grown to 4,000 workers, with that figure expected to have doubled by 2007.

Another worker in Darlington said yesterday: "It's a British company, so it's about time they started thinking about their British staff."

Last week, Aviva announced half-year profits of £1.32bn and said that the integration of RAC was moving ahead quickly.

Scott Egan, director of operations for RAC Insurance, said: "It is always difficult to make this kind of decision, but we have to ensure that our business is fit for the future.

"Unfortunately, the Darlington centre does not provide us with the infrastructure and flexibility to meet our future growth plans."

The company said it would do all it could to help those affected find alternative employment.