NESTLE Rowntree has strongly defended its decision to axe 645 jobs after the Archbishop of York urged it to remember the cost in human misery.

The company said it "very much welcomed" Dr John Sentamu's comments, and took the concerns he had raised "very seriously indeed".

It insisted that it would continue to operate in line with the business's long and respected tradition as a socially responsible employer.

Nestl had been unavailable for comment after the Archbishop issued a hardhitting statement to The Press late on Thursday afternoon in the wake of recent redundancies at Nestl, Norwich Union and British Sugar.

Dr Sentamu said there was a human cost in such job losses that could not be measured in numbers.

"It doesn't show up on balance sheets or dividend pay-outs. It is an almost unbearable price to pay, " he said.

"I will be writing to the chief executives and chairmen of these companies to express my concerns for the continuing workforces, my wish for greater levels of future investment and my hope that the full human cost of these job losses remains at the forefront of any further decisions with regard to these industries in York."

A Nestl spokeswoman said the business faced difficult decisions which it took only after careful consideration, and with particular concern for the effect on its employees.

She said: "Our choice was between taking the difficult but essential steps to secure the future of the York factory, thereby helping to safeguard long-term employment for over 1,800 of our employees; or failing to take these steps, which would eventually lead to the closure of the site with the far greater social cost that would involve. We have a long and respected tradition as a socially responsible employer in York, and we will continue to run our business in a socially responsible way.

"That is why we have given as much notice as possible to our employees of our proposed changes; why we will try to help as many people as possible take voluntary redundancy or early retirement; and why we will provide full and generous support to those who may need it.

"Our proposal for the part of the site which will be sold for development is also intended to benefit the city, potentially creating 300 additional jobs, with the proceeds reinvested in the future of the factory.

"We are committed to establishing our York site as a competitive and modern factory. This is the only way to provide the jobs and investment that the city needs.

"We will be very willing to discuss the situation with the Archbishop, and we welcome his involvement in helping to secure the future prosperity of the city."