A FIRM supplying plumbing and heating supplies is closing down its York branch in December.

The Plumbase-owned Smith Brothers site, in Osbaldwick Link Road, was made part of a branch review in August and was told it would close down at the end of the year.

The plumbing and heating merchant has started a consultation process with employees who could be affected by the review, after their worst fears were confirmed by bosses.

Some staff will now face redundancy, but others could be re-located.

Andy Williams, managing director of Plumbase, said the review had to be carried out after the last year proved to be difficult for the business.

He said: “It has been a challenging 12 months with difficult trading conditions, further complicated by the recent Brexit vote.

“A relatively small proportion of our branches are affected and we remain committed to strengthening our business and the delivery of our long-term strategy focused upon the sustainable growth in profitability.”

Plumbase, owned by the Grafton Group, is the fourth largest plumbing and heating merchant in the UK with 198 branches nationwide and it currently employs around 1,100 staff.

The general manager of the Osbaldwick shop declined to comment when contacted by The Press and it is not known how many members of staff will lose their jobs.

The site will join one of the many shops to close in recent months.

Barnitts in Front Street, Acomb, shut for the final time in June after it was no longer “commercially viable” to operate, while the owners of Homecrafts, also known as Fox’s DIY, in Lawrence Street, said they would be closing after 52 years in the city.