A WATERFOOT textile factory is set to close next month after earlier making redundancies.

Joshua Hoyle, Mill End Mill, Burnley Road East, is to move its operations to Walkden, Manchester.

Workers are upset by the announcement after the hemming factory was closed last week.

One employee, who asked not to be named and is moving to the Manchester site, said: "We are not happy about what has happened but most of us have to be thankful that we still have a job.

"I live in the area, so for me to have to travel every day will be a great inconvenience, while putting a massive hole in my pocket."

The household textile firm which specialises in fabric weaving and bed-linen, split from Waterfoot firm Hoyle Butterworth in 1997 with the loss of 60 jobs.

And today Coun David Hancock expressed his sadness at the news for the valley.

He said: "It's a real blow for the area to hear the news and it's sad that it has had to come to this. It's a tremendous loss to the local community because Joshua Hoyle has been a well established business for many years. We are trying to attract business into the Valley so this is the last thing we want to hear about.

"I work in Salford and know how bad the transport links are from Waterfoot to Manchester ,so this will be a great inconvenience to many people who have been relocated. Walkdon is quite hard to get to, so people have got to weigh up the pros and cons of working there.

"I am available to speak to anybody who may have concerns about the situation."

The company's management team are currently out of the country and unavailable for comment.