A COUNCIL chief has called for talks with company bosses over the future of jobs in Darwen after reports of a possible takeover.

The request by Coun Tony Melia - deputy leader of Blackburn with Darwen council and head of For Darwen - came in the wake of reports that Lucite, which operates the former ICI plant, is being targeted by rival companies.

According to a report in yesterday’s Mail on Sunday, Japan’s Mitsubishi is vying to take over the company along with Saudi Arabian investors who are believed to have tabled a £1billion bid.

ICI operated in Darwen from 1940 manufacturing Perspex but the business was taken over in 1999 and is now run by Lucite International.

Coun Melia said it was important to establish exactly what was going on at the company.

He said: “I think it’s always a worrying time when there are big buyouts because they can result in job losses. Obviously, that’s not clear at the moment and I would like to see them and see what is going on.

“If there are job losses there is a always a spin-off in that smaller companies which supply the firm are then effected.

“It is important for Darwen’s economy that firms like Lucite remain here because small business, such as sandwich shops, benefit from those workers being in town.”

But Mr Melia said that hopefully the current state of the economy could be a contributory factor to help the firm stay in Darwen.

He said: “The poor state of the pound means Britain is good for manufacturing at the moment and that could be a good thing.”

Lucite was formed in 1993 by the merger of the acrylics companies DuPont and ICI.

According to reports, prospective buyers have been granted access to financial information on the company and have been assessing their options with regards to a possible buyout.