AN ex-mayoress and former Leoni employee today hit out at council bosses for agreeing to give the firm £150,000 to stay in Accrington and said: "They're just laughing at us now."

Coun Sandra Hayes was less than two months into her husband's mayoral year when Leoni originally announced they were pulling out of Accrington, just weeks after taking over the Pickup Street factory.

Initially, 560 jobs were to be axed as production was switched to Romania, but the firm -- better known as Rists Wiring Systems -- agreed to keep open a quality control unit at Altham Industrial Estate in a property given to them rent-free for 18 months by Hyndburn Council.

They also received support towards their business rates for the same period.

Now the firm has announced it will close the Altham plant as of next May, coinciding with the end of the lease.

Coun Hayes opted not to move to the new plant when it opened in November last year so she could concentrate more on her council role.

When the first closure was announced, she led the campaign to save the factory.

But when the discussion was held by councillors on whether the £150,000 should be handed over, Coun Hayes could not take part because she was deemed to have an external interest in the matter.

She said: "I would never have given the money in the first place. I knew what they were like, I was there when they announced they were closing us down just weeks after buying us.

"But I could not take part in the discussion because I had to declare an interest in it.

"They are just laughing at us now. They have had the free unit for a year and always knew they weren't going to stay any longer.

"We have paid for them to keep 50 people on here while they train their cheap staff in Romania how to do quality checks on things.

"Now the Romanian staff can do that, they are getting rid of a good workforce to make more money. Their prices won't drop."

The unit is already being advertised for letting by Hyndburn First, the regeneration company set up by Hyndburn Council.

Nobody from the firm has yet commented although both the council leader Peter Britcliffe and union officials have confirmed the closure and the job losses.

At the time of the decision to hand over the free unit and financial support, Labour members said they council would end up with egg on its face if the deal went ahead.

Coun Hayes, a member of the ruling Conservative group, added: "Some 50 people who thought they had a job for life are now in the same position they were just over a year ago.

"It makes me sick that we have paid for a firm to stay here.

"If I had had my way, they would have had to agree to stay here much longer than just 18 months."

Coun Britcliffe said: "At the time, we felt it was important to do anything we could to save jobs.

" We saved 50 out of 560 for a further 18 months.

"We hoped they would stay for longer but knew that probably wouldn't be possible. I still think we did the right thing."