Some 360 employees have been made redundant following a fire two weeks ago at a factory producing frozen meals for Findus.
The fire was the final nail in the coffin of Newcastle Production,
which ran the factory in Longbenton, Newcastle. Previously hit by the
Icelandic banking collapse, the company went into administration last
week despite having a healthy order book before the fire. The factory
made products such as Findus Crispy Pancakes and fishfingers. The fire
on 6 January caused an estimated GB pound 20 million of damage and stopped
production at the factory. Six fire engines and over 30 firefighters
attended the blaze, which started at around 1pm and lasted for more
than three hours. Around 50 workers were evacuated from the buildings
after being alerted by fire alarms. Dave Brown at Tyne and Wear Fire
and Rescue Service said it was a substantial fire which occurred in the
plant room of the factory, though the exact cause was as yet unknown.
“…As a result of a fire on site prior to our appointment as
administrators, the facility is currently closed whilst damage and
options are assessed,” Simon Wilson, a partner at administrators Zolfo
Cooper said on Friday. “Unfortunately this means that we have had to
make the majority of the workforce formally redundant.”
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