NEARLY 50 jobs have been saved following the purchase of a plastic moulding factory that was set for closure in St Asaph.

Manufacturer The Goodfish Group has purchased the Honeywell site after the electricals firm revealed in March that it would make 130 redundancies, in a bid to "consolidate core manufacturing processes in fewer locations".

Chris Ruane, MP for the Vale of Clwyd, said the job losses were "terrible" for the region, particularly as they were "good jobs with good salaries".

In the deal struck on Tuesday, November 5, Goodfish agreed to protect 47 roles at the existing PVC moulding and extrusion workshops and create seven new positions on the site.

The Staffordshire toolmaking company also agreed a five-year supply contract with Honeywell for PVC products.

A Honeywell spokesperson said: “Honeywell reached an agreement to sell its PVC and general purpose moulding business to The Goodfish Group.”

More than 70 jobs are still expected to be lost in January.

Unite Cymru regional secretary Peter Hughes described the deal as “bittersweet news” for the Honeywell workforce.

He said: “Unite welcomes the fact that a significant portion of our members facing redundancy will retain their jobs, the majority however are still facing an uncertain future with their employment ending at the end of January 2020.

“What this does achieve is the maintenance of a manufacturing facility and the retention of decent jobs within St Asaph. The deal protects the current skills base and hopefully provides a platform from which the new operation can expand in the future”.

The union said it will enter discussions over enhanced redundancy pay and Goodfish’s short- and medium-term plans for the site.

Peter Scott, mayor of St Asaph, was optimistic about the possibilities of the new ownership of the site. “It is great that 50 jobs have been saved, though it is a disappointment that 80 are still going to be lost," he said.

"There is room for Goodfish to expand at the site and the union is looking to get a decent redundancy package for the workers and help them to find jobs elsewhere.

"We don't want to lose any employment in St Asaph and hopefully the workers can find local jobs."