DIRECTORS in carpets and textiles group Gaskell shared bonuses of £46,000 last year.

The bonuses of up to £13,000 each were an average of 13 per cent of the Altham-based firm's directors' salaries in 1998.

Bonuses are paid to directors depending on factors including the group's pre-tax profit.

The Altham firm, which operates Gaskell Textiles and Gaskell Carpets in Clayton-le-Moors, Accrington and Oswaldtwistle, saw a 38 per cent increase in pre-tax profits in 1998 to £5.1 million on a sales increase of eight per cent to £52.6 million.

The firm's annual report reveals that chief executive Gerard Cahill saw his salary package including bonus increase to £121,000 in 1998, up from £91,000 last year.

Finance director and company secretary Richard Hopkin saw his rise by £21,000 to £109,000 and chairman Edward Andrew enjoyed a £15,000 increase to £63,000.

Those three directors, together with Gaskell Carpets managing director Jerry Daw, also made a combined paper profit of more than £140,000 by exercising share options.

They each exercised options on 50,000 shares granted at 33p when the market price was between 106p and 108p.

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