REDUNDANT workers at Sunderland's Stag Furniture factory were being offered help to find new jobs yesterday.

Staff from JobCentre Plus went into the factory yesterday morning following Friday's news that the Southwick factory was to close with the loss of 372 jobs.

The announcement came two weeks after administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers made 180 workers redundant. The factory had lost more than £10m in the past three years,

The closure will be staggered over several weeks.

The response group to help workers is being spearheaded by JobCentre Plus with support from One NorthEast and Sunderland City Council.

Staff made redundant before Friday are being contacted to offer them the same help as workers still at the plant.

Janet Snaith, Sunderland City Council's head of business investment, said: "We've already had one or two tentative inquiries from companies who are interested in recruiting workers from Stag."

Diane Hedley, regional director of JobCentre Plus, said: "This is obviously a very bitter blow for the workers, their families and the local economy, but we are now looking at the practical support that we can offer people who have lost their jobs.