WORKERS at a Shop Direct call centre in Wales have been handed a six-month reprieve – but their 420 Burnley counterparts have been told their last day of work is June 30.

The firm’s office in Newtown, Powys, will now not close until the end of the year following an intervention by local MP Lembit Opik.

However, Burnley workers, who were last month told Shop Direct planned to close its Kingsway site, have been offered no such hope.

Usdaw union officer David Johnson said the Newtown reprieve related to the possibility of a buyer being found. But no interest has been shown in the Burnley office, meaning it will shut its doors forever on June 30, leaving its 420 workers redundant.

Burnley Council leader Gordon Birtwistle said: “Unfortunately, I have not heard of any interest in the Burnley site. As a council we are willing to talk to anyone who will either bring jobs to Burnley, or safeguard existing ones, but no-one has approached us regarding Shop Direct.”

Burnley’s Shop Direct workers are currently in the middle of a 90-day consultation with bosses over the closure of the site. The firm has blamed the decision on fewer phone orders for its products, including the Littlewoods and Woolworth brands.

Yesterday, Shop Direct said the Burnley call centre was still expected to close on June 30.