MORE than 50 people have been told they will lose their jobs when a Braintree firm relocates to Leicestershire.

Staff at Hodgson & Hodgson, in Bradbury Drive on the Springwood Industrial Estate, say they have not been given the option to move with the company and will be made redundant.

The firm, based in Melton Mowbray and with sites in Corby and Burton-on-Trent, makes sound insulation parts for cars, domestic appliances and the construction and rail industries.

An employee, who asked not to be named, claimed the moving of the Braintree side of the business to the firm’s HQ in Leicestershire was a money-saving exercise.

He said: “They came in with a consultation that asked if anybody had any money-saving ideas. We put forward ideas that would save a substantial amount but their mind was made up that they were going to close it.

“Last Thursday they said it was closing and relocating. We did ask about relocating and what they said was, everyone would be made redundant and if there are jobs they would have to apply.

“We expect the first wave to go at the end of January and then it will be periodical until the end of the financial year.

“They are doing it slowly because they need some kind of workforce to build up stock for all our customers.”

The employee said there were 52 full-time staff at the site and about 75 agency staff, most of whom have already left.

He added: “We have had about ten full time staff leave already because they won’t be getting anything because they haven’t been here long, but some have been here 25 years.”

The firm has been in Braintree for about ten years, but was previously based in Colchester.

In July, the company was bought out by two of its directors and investment firm Wrogel Management.

At the time, a statement on the company’s website said: “Wrogel intend to make significant investment in order to strengthen the business, extend its current offerings and support its future growth.”

A spokesman for the firm said it had no statement to make about the closure of the Braintree site.