Perspex International has confirmed there could be job losses at their sites in Darwen and Blackburn.

The company said a reduction in the number of jobs in the area was due to energy costs which have 'impacted the manufacture of cast acrylic sheet’.

In turn, the company said reduction in demand for its products would continue into 2023.

A total of 74 jobs could go at the firm but these were all subject to consultation.

Employees at the two production sites in Darwen and the distribution site at Walker Park in Blackburn will be affected by the changes.

A spokesperson for Perspex International said: “Substantial increases in energy costs over the past year have impacted both direct and indirect input costs in the manufacture of cast acrylic sheet, as well as reduced confidence in the markets supplied by our business.

“These factors have driven a strong and sustained decline in demand for cast acrylic sheet products.

“Throughout the year the business has made numerous changes to respond to this decrease in demand but it has now become evident that the reduction in demand for cast acrylic sheet will continue into 2023.

“Due to this reduced demand and the requirement to reduce costs in order to protect the future sustainability of our business and jobs we support, the business will now enter into a period of consultation with trade union representatives in relation to a proposed reduction in headcount.”

The potential job losses come a year after the Perspex International Ltd announced it would be investing £30 million in a cutting-edge production plant and research centre.

The investment was due to be the latest eco-friendly technology by the historic firm's Swiss owners and was designed to make the production of the firm’s world-famous clear and coloured acrylic sheets energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly.

Production of Perspex, including for Spitfire fighter cockpits, began in 1940 when the firm was part of ICI.

Lately, it has been owned by INEOS Acrylics and Lucite International before being bought in 2019 by 3A Composites, an independent division of Swiss-based Schweiter Technologies AG.

Perspex International, which sponsored Blackburn Rovers in the 1980s, currently manufactures acrylic sheets, which are marketed under the brand names PERSPEX for clear and colourful sheets, and ASTERITE for sanitary-ware sheets.

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