A PRESTON firm, which is building a new £1.1 million factory, is to double its workforce.

Gafoor Poultry Products is building the factory in Deepdale, thanks to teamwork with the North West Development Agency and Business Link North and Western Lancashire.

The factory will raise the number of Gafoor's employees from 40 to 85.

The poultry company has been operating in Preston since 1966 but had outgrown its town centre premises.

And the new factory will breathe life into a run-down area of town -- a derelict and contaminated coalyard will be transformed into the company's new centre.

Tahir Vaza, of Gafoor, said: "I am delighted we have been able to stay in the area where our company has been so-long established and that we can give something back to the local community."

The new factory will be operational in autumn.

A Preston company has denied that major job losses are imminent.

Rumours have been circulating that Plumbs Furniture Covers is about to shed around half of its workforce in a huge restructuring programme.

But a company spokesman said: "We are looking at our customer service operation at the moment.

"There is a series of proposals and nothing concrete. It will possibly involve job losses but we are talking about one or two, and these are only proposals."

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