A QUESTION mark was today hanging over the future of the Blackburn and Burnley branch offices of Britannic Assurance after the insurance company announced 2,000 job losses.

Around 1,600 sales staff based around the UK will be axed along with 400 support staff at the company's head office in Birmingham.

Britannic says it is looking to make savings of £82 million in the next year.

The company argues that the competitive insurance marketplace meant it no longer made economic sense to maintain such a large salesforce. It will be left with a specialist sales team of 100 advisers.

The sales team being retained will provide a service for customers seeking advice on increasing payments or reinvesting sums from maturing policies.

There was no one available to comment at Britannic's headquarters at Wythall, south of Birmingham, on the implications for the branch offices at Hargreaves Street, Burnley, and Richmond Terrace, Blackburn.