MORE jobs are to go at a North Yorkshire manufacturing firm.

Micro Metalsmiths Ltd, which employs around 160 people at its Pickering and Kirkbymoorside sites, has announced further job losses will be made in the next few weeks.

The company made 22 people redundant in February after blaming a downturn in trade.

And despite plans to close the Pickering site to cut costs and expand their Kirkbymoorside site, the firm say more jobs must go.

Steve Parkin, operations manager at Micro Metalsmiths, said:

"There will be some losses and we are going through the consultation process at the moment.

"We are having to relocate most people and they will be offered exactly the same kind of deal - all that will be different will be their place of work.

"We are just having to make some general redundancies so they will be across the board."

There are around 44 staff at the Pickering site, and Mr Parkin said the majority of those people would be re-employed, although he would not specify a figure.

He said: "The reason for the move is that it is more cost effective to be on one site.

"It makes more people's jobs secure as far as we are concerned."

He added: "Some people have said they can't move across for transport reasons or they have said this is an opportunity for them to leave.

"But there are very few people in that situation and it is a bit of a moving target.

"Everyone wants it over and done with as quickly as possible but we have to go through due process and we have to make sure we are fair and open about what we are doing."

Ryedale District Coun Gary Hobbs said: "It is very disappointing that there is another round of redundancies, especially so soon after the previous ones.

"Many local families face a period of uncertainty and I sincerely hope no more redundancies are planned."

Updated: 08:29 Tuesday, May 07, 2002