Sixty-five jobs are being lost at a Bradford engineering firm, it was announced today.

Switchgear & Instrumentation Ltd, based at Ripley Road, East Bowling, has told all of its 360 staff about the imminent redundancies and workers will find out who is affected on Friday.

The company manufactures switchgear and control panels for customers such as oil rigs.

A statement released on behalf of the company said today: "Due to a shortfall in orders, the Bradford-based engineering firm Switchgear & Instrumentation Ltd employing 360 people, announces that 65 redundancies are expected to be made within the next three months. We will let people know on Friday."

But a member of staff, who did not want to give his name, today accused the firm of being 'secretive'.

In addition, a manager at the company, Bob Barker, had made promises a few months ago that although the company was going through a quiet patch there was no threat of redundancies, the source claimed, adding: "It makes us angry that they could promise something and then change their minds.

"The company is building an extension at the moment costing more than £1 million and they are advertising various job vacancies. We can't understand how they can do this while making 65 people redundant."

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