Wienerberger becomes latest to mothball factories

Wienerberger is to mothball two of its UK factories, with a loss of 80 jobs, as it becomes the latest brickmaker to scale back its operation as the economic climate worsens.

The redundancies will come at Steer Point, Devon and Ewhurst, Surrey.

Contract Journal reported in April that Hanson had closed its fourth plant in 18 months with the mothballing of its Caernarfon brickworks plant with the loss of 50 jobs. The company said that it was experiencing the lowest levels of demand for 20 years.

Meanwhile it emerged yesterday that production at Castle Cement's plant at Padeswood near Buckley in North Wales is also set to be cut, but no redundancies are expected to be made.