The closure of a Bradford bread factory could affect thousands of people across the city, a councillor has warned.

Councillor Ghazanfer Khaliq said that the knock-on effect of the proposed redundancies of 370 workers at the British Bakeries factory in Thornbury would have a devastating effect on his ward.

The jobs are being cut after British Bakeries announced its intention to axe all manufacturing at the Gain Lane site after a recent fall in the UK bread market.

The factory's workforce come from all over West Yorkshire but many live in the Bradford Moor and Thornbury areas.

Coun Khaliq said he had been contacted by many people in the area and that he knew personally many of the families who have been affected.

The former Lord Mayor of Bradford said: "Many of the people who work there are from Bradford Moor and it is going to have a really big impact on the local area.

"We need to look at speaking to the managers to encourage them to re-assess whether there is any way jobs could be saved.

"It has been a big shock to the area. 370 jobs is a big blow but of course the real amount of people affected is much higher when you consider it is 370 families affected."

The news of the proposed closure of the factory led to a stream of comments from readers on the T&A's website.

One man who identified himself as Luke from Bradford said: "My girlfriend's dad has worked there for 42 years, he is really gutted and this should not have happened."

Kia, from Bradford Moor, said: "My area will see a breakdown or shall I say a meltdown as daughters like me will not be able to pay our university fees and our families will become bankrupt because they cannot pay their mortgage."

Another reader, who identified himself as John from Bradford, said: "I have just bought a house for £135,000 and I have just lost my job. It looks like I will lose my house."

Meanwhile union officials have asked to see financial figures from British Bakeries as they begin their fight to keep the factory open.

The Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union met formally with bosses yesterday to begin putting together a package to fight to save the jobs of the workers.

Ian Wood, organising district secretary for the BFAWU, said: "We are at the very early stages of this process.

"This is a very complicated situation and the fact is there are six or seven reasons why these 370 jobs have been made redundant. At this point we need to knock down each of those arguments and put something in place to keep the factory open. We are working very hard to keep it open."

Further meetings are scheduled for next week.

e-mail: mark.casci @bradford.newsquest.co.uk