THE end of UK cigarette manufacturing and recent plain tobacco packaging legislation forced the closure of a Bradford print works with around 40 job losses.

It is the final nail in the coffin for what was once one of Bradford’s largest printing works.

US-based MPS Packaging has closed the final part of the Hollingwood Lane site at Lidget Green which was originally Field Packaging and later Chesapeake.

In its heyday the site employed hundreds of people making packaging for the tobacco, confectionery and cosmetics sectors.

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MPS has closed the site due to the impact of plain tobacco packaging legislation which came into force in May. This came on top of declining cigarette manufacturing in the UK and Western Europe which means all cigarettes smoked in the UK are imported.

An MPS spokesman said: “For many years there has been a reduction in cigarette manufacturing in the UK and indeed across Europe. Due to this continuing trend and with the additional effect of the recent plain packaging legislation, it was decided that we could no longer sustain the Bradford site due to reduced volumes.

“As a consequence, MPS put forward a proposal to close its UK production site at Bradford and transfer some of the small amount of residual carton volumes to another production site in the UK.

“A consultation period with all employees and their representatives has now been concluded and around 40 employees have opted for redundancy. MPS offered to redeploy as many employees as possible to other sites within the group and some employees are currently exploring these opportunities.

“This decision to close the site has not been based on quality or service levels which have both been exemplary.”

Fields, which started in 1851, moved to the Hollingwood Lane site, originally the Scotts motorcycles factory, in 1935.The main factory was demolished in 2011 and remaining operations concentrated in a former warehouse.]

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